Mi Amo
by jackxnina15
Summary: Now finished! TM post season two...sort of has a plot now...please read & review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own 24...obviously, because if I did Tony and Michelle would have been together from the beginning and would still be ALIVE!**

_Author's Note: Sorry if this is a little repetitive of some of the other stuff on this site...I've been reading T/M stuff and really wanted to write my own. I'm new at this and want to know how it is, so please review...constructive criticism would be appreciated!_

"Dessler."

"Hey. Can I see you in my office?" Michelle turned in her chair to look up at Tony, who she had been dating for two years.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec. You want me to bring you that new protocol, right?" she asked coyly, knowing perfectly well he wasn't interested in that. She bit her lip and twirled a lock of curly hair around her finger.

"Mmhmm...that's what I want," he said, blacking out the office windows. She laughed and hung up. Picking up a useless folder so she could at least pretend to have business there, she walked up the stairs and entered his office.

"Tony?" He wasn't at his desk.

"Hey, sweetheart." He swooped out from behind the door and grabbed her around the waist, laughing as he spun her around to kiss her. She let herself enjoy it, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her tongue across his lips. "I was thinking..." he said, "how much I like it when you wear that skirt."

"I know," she laughed, "you picked it out for me this morning." The pair had spent the night together like they did every night - the only reason they still had separate apartments was because someone at CTU would notice if they had the same address.

"You have a point. How 'bout we stay at my place tonight, and you pack another skirt like that so you can wear it tomorrow?"

"I don't know...it seems to make it harder for you to keep your hands off me," she replied with a smile.

"Chelle...no matter what you're wearing, whenever I'm near you at work it just drives me crazy that I have to keep my distance. I know it would cause problems if Division found out about us, but it's so hard to act like we're just coworkers and I'm not counting down the minutes till I can get you home."

"I know, Tony...but it makes sneaking away like this all the more exciting," she said, flirting. "You know, it's hard for me to concentrate on work when I can feel you looking at me, wanting me...it makes me wish we could just stay up here all day." She leaned in and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. "Chelle..." he groaned."You're so addicting." He moved toward the couch and lowered her onto it, then climbed on top of her, pressing them closer together. "I just can't get enough..." Neither heard the door open.

"What the hell?!" Jack looked shocked, but not angry.

Tony cursed. "Don't you knock?" he asked, jumping off Michelle and running his fingers through his hair. She stood and quickly tried to straighten out her clothes.

"I didn't think there would really be any reason to...but I guess I was wrong!" He still didn't sound angry...uncertain, yes, maybe even amused? "Tony...you know the rules about relationships in the workplace."

"Yeah, that's why we've kept it a secret, and we certainly haven't let it interfere with our work!" His eyes warned Jack not to go there now, not to bring up Nina in front of Michelle.

"Alright..." Jack got the message. "It's really none of my business, I won't mention it to Chappell. And next time...be a little more careful."

"Thanks, Jack." Tony knew they would talk more about it later, when they were alone. The two men had formed a bond years ago, when they had both loved and been betrayed by the same woman. Michelle was obviously nothing like Nina, but Jack knew the scars from the past would still influence any relationship Tony had with someone from the office.

Jack opened the door to leave, then turned around. "Tony, Michelle...I'm glad you're together. It's about time." With that, he left the two alone.

Michelle let out the breath she had been holding, and started to laugh. "Wow! That could have been a lot worse, if it had been Chappell!"

Tony was relieved - he hadn't been sure if she would be OK with Jack knowing about them. The last thing either of them wanted was for anyone to think Michelle was getting special treatment from him, or that he was taking advantage of his position as her boss. "I think I almost would have preferred Chappell over Chloe, think how awkward that would have been!"

Imagining that scene, Michelle had to smile. "I like Chloe, even if she does have the social skills of a six year old."

"So do I, but she can sure make things uncomfortable...maybe I should try to keep my hands off you for a couple hours till we can go home," he said reluctantly.

"Good idea," she agreed. "Getting caught once is enough for today!"

"I don't know...it might be worth it," he said, closing the distance between them to kiss her again. She slipped her tongue into his mouth before pulling away, purposefully driving him crazy. "Chelle..." he growled.

She laughed. "Two hours. Then we can leave...are we still planning on going to dinner tonight?"

"In public?" he said, obviously not liking the idea. "How about I keep you in my apartment all night...I'll cook."

"Now that's an idea I like. I'll be there around six."

She left, and Tony tried to concentrate on finishing up the report he was working on. He was so in love with her it scared him sometimes. The first time he laid eyes on her he decided she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and as he got to know her, he felt himself falling hard. For a year he told himself they could never be more than friends, because they worked together. Nina had shown him firsthand why office relationships were such a bad idea. Plus, he and Michelle had become good friends, and he didn't want to mess that up. So as much as he wanted to tell her how much he cared for her, he settled for lunches grabbed between meetings at work, talking over coffee in the break room, and occasionally driving together to work-related events. Then, in the middle of a crisis, she had basically asked him out - stuttering, blushing, and adorable. He had told her that they would get dinner and a movie when the day was over, and still managed to keep some type of hold on his emotions. That went out the window later that day when she KISSED him. At first, he hadn't known if it was because she was upset and vulnerable, but when she apologized, he just had to stop her by kissing her back. They pretended it hadn't happened till the day from hell was over, and the next night they had dinner and watched a movie at Tony's...and stayed there for almost all of the 3 days off they had been given.

Tony was distracted from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Jack's head poked inside. "Not interrupting anything, am I?" he joked. "Seriously, though, sorry about earlier. I was just shocked - I mean, I knew you and Michelle are crazy about each other, I just didn't know you both knew it too. How long have you been dating?"

"Two years...since the day of the nuke," Tony admitted.

"Wow, I have to give you credit for being able to keep it a secret that long! Is it serious?" The two men didn't usually have serious conversations, but they were comfortable enough with each other that Tony answered the question.

"I'm in love with her, Jack. Everything about her is so perfect, I just can't imagine ever being without her. We've pretty much been living together for a while now, but we keep our separate apartments so CTU doesn't find out."

"You know I'm happy for you, Tony, and I really think you two can handle working together and being in a relationship. I know you're waiting for me to bring up Nina, but we both know Michelle is nothing like her. I've trusted Michelle with my life countless times, and I want you to be happy together."

"Thanks, Jack. It means a lot." Tony really was glad to have Jack's agreement on this. He did love Michelle and knew she would never betray him, CTU, or the country, but Nina had left scars on his trust. To be involved like that with her, then find out she was using him...it wasn't a feeling he would ever forget, and he knew Jack understood that better than anyone. After all, Nina had done more than use him, she had killed his wife - whom Jack had cheated on with her. To know that Jack could see the differences between Nina and Michelle too was another step towards putting Tony's fears to rest.

"So I take it you and Michelle are getting together tonight?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, we're having dinner at my place."

"I'll let you finish up here then, I'm sure you're dying to get to that," he said smirk.

"Bye, Jack. And thanks."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Nope...still don't own 24 or any of the characters**

_A/N: Please review!_

When Tony finally pulled up to his apartment building, it was almost 6:00. He hurried inside and changed into jeans and a grey T-shirt, then turned on some music and started to prepare dinner. He enjoyed cooking; it was stress-free compared to his days at work. He laughed to himself, thinking of how Michelle would disagree: Cooking was extremely stressful for her. She could track a questionable vehicle by satellite or take on 3 hostiles in a shootout, but don't ask her to fix anything harder than a piece of toast! He heard a knock on the door, and Michelle opened it.

"Anybody home?" She practically jumped on him, hugging him tightly. "I've missed you...in the last couple hours since I saw you."

He laughed. "I hope you're hungry, because I got a little carried away on the cooking."

"Can I help?" she asked, half joking. Her lack of cooking skills was legendary between them.

"NO," he answered quickly. "You can sit right over there...want a glass of wine?"

"Sure, thanks" she said. As he went to the wine cupboard to pull out what he knew was her favorite, she crossed the kitchen toward the stove. "What's cooking?"

"Hey, stay away," he teased as he grabbed her hips and pulled her toward him.

"Alright...you'll have to find some other way to occupy me." She pushed him backwards against the counter and kissed him hard, running her fingers through his hair. As he moaned and leaned into her, she sneaked one hand behind him and snatched a noodle from the pot of pasta. Laughing, she pulled back and popped it in her mouth.

"Not fair!" Tony complained. She kissed him again, silencing his protests. He held her closer and ran his hands up and down her sides. When she ran her tongue over his lips and slipped in inside his mouth, he breathed, "Chelle...we're supposed to be making dinner, not getting permanently sidetracked."

She laughed and agreed. "Fine, as long as I get to help with _something_..."

"Think you can handle setting the table?" he joked.

"You just watch me," she promised.

""""""""""""""""

Ten minutes later, Tony and Michelle sat down for dinner. She had set out a nice tablecloth and pretty dishes, then found a couple candles to use as a centerpiece. "Wow, Chelle, I gotta hand it to you. This looks great."

"Not as good as the food! I'll never understand how you can cook things like this so easily."

"Someday I'm going to teach you to cook. It'll be fun!"

"The word 'cooking' should never be used in the same sentence as the word 'fun'," she said, skeptical. "Besides, I seem to remember you trying to teach me before...I wasn't a very good student."

Tony had to smile as he remembered the cake they made together. Michelle didn't understand why you couldn't just dump all the ingredients in a bowl, stir it up, and pop it in the oven. The cake had been a disaster, but he still loved the memory of the time spent together.

"How 'bout we rent a movie tonight?" he suggested, letting her off the hook for the cooking lesson.

"Sure...something funny. We get enough action movie stuff at work."

As they cleaned up the dishes, they laughed, flirted, and blew soap bubbles at each other. Tony couldn't remember a time in his life when he had been happier. Her smile, her laugh, her head of curls...when he was around her, life seemed so right. He walked over to where she stood at the sink, her back to him, and just wrapped his arms around her. "What's this for?" she asked, looking back at him.

"I love you, Chelle," he said, pulling her closer. She turned around and held on to him.

"I love you too, Tony...so much." They stayed like that for a while, till they were interrupted by a ringing phone. "It's mine," groaned Michelle, looking at the screen. "Dessler," she answered the phone. "Hi Ryan." Tony made a face, and she stifled a laugh. "Yes, I finished those today...I don't know, Adam was supposed to send them to you." It was getting harder to concentrate as Tony began slowly nibbling on her neck. She tried to swat him away, but that only encouraged him, and he moved to kissing along her collarbone. That always drove her crazy. "Alright, I'll make sure you have them by tomorrow..." she gasped as his tongue flicked lower, under her shirt. "No, I'm fine. Is there anything else, Ryan?...OK, I'll see you tomorrow...Tony!" She burst out laughing as she hung up the phone. "Chappell just said I sounded funny and asked if I was OK!"

"Don't tell me you didn't like it," he said, grinning devilishly. She pretended to pout, then gave up. "Come on, let's go get that movie."

""""""""""""""""

When they got back with the movie they had settled on, Tony offered to make popcorn. He joined Michelle on the couch with a bowl of kettle corn, her favorite. He loved watching movies with her, mostly because he rarely actually watched the movie - she was too distracting. So he always let her pick out the film; it didn't really matter to him anyway. Tonight they had gotten an old classic they both loved - _The Princess Bride_. They had seen it countless times, often together, but never got tired of watching the courageous farm boy rescue the beautiful princess. Halfway through the movie, Tony felt Michelle go limp against him and noticed her breathing was steady - she was asleep. He smiled and kissed her head, then turned down the volume on the TV. He knew he should eventually carry her to bed, where they would both sleep better, but for now he snuggled in and got comfortable on the couch. Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.

Two hours later, Tony jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. The TV screen was blue, signaling the movie was long over, and Michelle was still asleep on his chest. He tried to answer his phone without disturbing her. "Almeida," he said quietly.

He heard someone yelling in the distance. "Hands where I can see them! Get them out of your pockets or the girl gets hurt!" Tony was suddenly wide awake and slipping out from under Michelle. Then he heard Jack's voice, much closer to the phone. "OK, calm down, you can take whatever you want, just please don't hurt Kate." Tony's mind raced...obviously Jack was trying to give him a message, calling him for help. But what was going on? And where was he? Jack's voice came over the phone again. "You can take my TV, it's right there. The computer is in the spare bedroom." OK, Jack's apartment. Tony rushed to find his gun. As he searched for his keys, Michelle sat up.

"Tony? Who was that?" She was already straightening her clothes and slipping on her shoes.

"It was just Jack. He's having a little trouble at his place...Chelle, I want you to stay here."

"What? Tony, you reach for your gun and run off to rescue Jack, and you expect me to stay here? I want to help."

"It's too dangerous...I can handle it. Please, Chelle, I'll be right back." His eyes pleaded with her not to push it.

"You know as well as I do that if Jack needs to call you for help, it's serious. These people have him helpless enough that all he can do is call you, and you think you're going to go flying in there alone and take them out? You're going to need some backup, and if you don't think I'd be any help, at least call someone else." Michelle was getting angry now.

Tony sighed. "It's not like that...I know you're a kickass agent, but I just couldn't live with myself putting you in harm's way."

"And you think I want to sit here while you walk into a serious situation alone?" He knew she had a point - anyone who could hold Kate at gunpoint when Jack was around would be a challenge for Tony to take on alone. Jack and Kate had gotten pretty serious over the last couple years, and Jack's worst fear was that someone would hurt her...like Teri.

"Alright...let's go," Tony relented. "Just follow my lead and please...be careful."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Kind of short, sorry...actually I don't know if anybody cares that it's short...so reviews would be nice! Also, _**I still don't own 24/characters.**

Less than twenty minutes later, Tony and Michelle were parking a block from Jack's apartment building. Tony found a CTU bulletproof vest in the back of his SUV and grabbed it, not knowing if they would need it. He tried to remember the layout of the building, and decided they should go around to the back. Jack didn't like that his apartment was on the end of the ground-level row, so it wasn't very secure, but Tony knew that might work to their advantage now. He knew there was a door leading into the hallway, a sliding glass door in the back, and at least two windows. He quickly tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't put Michelle or Kate in any danger.

When they reached the back of the building, Tony noticed the glass door and one window were broken. He motioned for Michelle to stay down as he peeked through the window. He held up two fingers then pointed to signal that there were two hostiles - one near the glass door holding Kate, the other across the room from the broken window rifling through drawers in a desk. Tony and Michelle snuck away from the building to plan their attack.

Tony had to admit he was surprised - the two thugs didn't look quite as professional as he expected. How had they managed to get the upper hand on Jack? He spoke quickly and quietly. "I'll go in the broken door and grab the gun he's holding on Kate. As soon as I make contact with him, I need you to shoot the other hostile through the window. In the shoulder will be fine, that'll give Jack enough time to subdue him. Be sure to stay out of the window so they can't shoot at you."

"Tony..." Michelle didn't like the idea of him being out in the open for the few feet between the door and Kate, but she knew there was no other way to do it. "Be careful."

"Of course," he reassured her. "Don't worry, I have the Kevlar vest. Even if he gets a shot off, it won't hurt me. These guys didn't know what they were getting into, robbing a CTU agent."

They both took up their positions - Michelle crouched under the broken window, Tony pressed against the side of the building near the sliding door. He stuck a hand around the corner so she could see it and counted down with his fingers: 3...2...1...

Tony flew through the opening where the door belonged, both hands closing over the gun trained on Kate's head. The thugs were taken completely by surprise, and even as the other man turned to help his comrade, Tony heard Michelle's gunshot and saw him fall to the floor. Jack was across the room in no time, quickly taking control of the injured thief. The first man tried to fight Tony off, but he was no match for the government agent. The men rolled across the floor, Tony coming up on top. In less than a minute, Tony had knocked him out cold and bound him with handcuffs he had found in his car.

By this time, Jack had cuffed the other thief to the leg of the desk he had been searching moments ago, and Michelle rushed through the back door. Tony went weak with relief when he saw her - she hadn't really been in any danger, but if something had gone wrong...as he took Michelle in his arms, Jack crossed the room to Kate.

"Kate! Honey, are you OK?" he asked. "I never should have let you walk in without checking the apartment, anyone could have been in here!"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Tony's the one who got a little beaten up!" The man he jumped had managed to get in a few good punches.

Tony quickly wiped the traces of blood from his face. "It's nothing," he said, embarrassed. "Just a couple scratches. Doesn't even hurt, really."

Michelle laughed. "I'll fix you up when we get home."

"We'll discuss that," Tony dismissed the idea.

"And you give me a hard time about hating to admit I'm hurt," Jack teased. "Really, though, thanks for showing up when you did. I was hoping you got the idea from the phone call...otherwise I was pretty much out of options. Sorry if I interrupted anything...again..." he said mischeviously, referring to the encounter earlier that day in Tony's office. Michelle swatted his arm, then glanced at Kate, knowing she probably would have figured out by now that Tony and Michelle were involved.

Kate smiled. "Congratulations, you two. Jack filled me in tonight on what's going on between you."

"Thanks, Kate," said Michelle. "We've been trying to keep it quiet at work, because Chappelle is completely against office relationships, but if somebody had to find out I'm glad it was Jack."

"It wouldn't have taken me long either way - anyone can tell there are sparks between you," Jack smirked. "You won't be able to keep it from everybody else much longer. Anyway, sorry for interrupting your night like this. I'll call this in and get these guys taken care of; you can get back to whatever you were doing."

Tony felt himself turned red at Jack's implication. "Want us to take Kate home on the way?" he asked, trying to get a little revenge. He knew Kate was probably planning on spending the night there.

It was Kate's turn to blush. "That won't be necessary," Jack jumped in before she could say anything, wrapping his arm more firmly around her shoulder. They all laughed. "Thanks again for helping us out like this."

"Anytime, Jack. See you at CTU tomorrow?"

"Of course," he answered, with an exaggerated grimace.

Tony reached for Michelle's hand, and they walked out laughing. They all liked their jobs, really, but the long hours and constant call-ins wore on them after a while.

"Wow, he never takes a break," Michelle commented as got into Tony's car. "Jack can't even take Kate out for the evening without running into some kind of trouble."

"Yeah, but I bet those two guys will do a little more research before they try to rob somebody else - they got a little more than they bargained for tonight!"

Tony savored the sound of her laughter. "That was probably quite a surprise when they realized they'd be taking on three CTU agents!"

He pulled her closer. "Sorry about the disagreement earlier...it's not that I don't think you're strong or smart enough for things like this, I just don't know what I'd do if anything even happened to you - especially if I could have prevented it."

"I know you worry, Tony, and I appreciate it, but danger is part of both of our jobs. Believe it or not, I worry about you too, but if I can't just trust that you'll be OK, I'll be paralyzed with fear every time you go into the field. I can't imagine ever living a day without you, Tony."

"I love you so much, Chelle," he said as they pulled up to his apartment building. She took his hand as they walked upstairs, and as soon as he got the door open, he tugged her inside and kissed her passionately. "You are my life," he whispered to her. "Let me show you how much you mean to me."

"Please," she breathed into his mouth, running her fingers through the back of his hair. "I need you, Tony."

Abandoning the last of his self-control, he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Well, I haven't acquired any of the characters since I wrote chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Well, I haven't acquired any of the characters since I wrote chapter 3.**

Her alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning, but like always, he woke quickly and turned it off before she heard. Looking over at her, he was struck by how much she resembled an angel as she slept - porcelain skin with rosy cheeks, beautiful lips parted slightly, almost smiling, head of curls sprawled out over the pillow. The last thing he wanted was for such perfect sleep to be disturbed by a harsh, noisy alarm clock. As much as he would have liked to, Tony knew he couldn't just watch her sleep all day - she would never want to be late for work.

He kissed her hair softly, then moved down to her jawline. "Chelle...time to wake up," he whispered. She didn't stir, so he started to nibble under her ear, a spot he knew was sensitive. A trace of a smile appeared on her face.

"Mmm...Tony," she muttered. "Do we have to go to work today? I could get the boss to give me the day off..."

"Really, could you?" he asked, teasingly. "The boss doesn't like being at work without you."

"Oh, I'm sure he could take the day off too...I have my ways of distracting him from work." She began to work her fingers down his chest, down his stomach, slipping them under the waistband of his boxers.

Tony felt his body quiver. "You are quite convincing," he growled as he kissed her.

An hour later, they finally pulled themselves out of bed to get ready for the day. "We have about 45 minutes till we need to leave to get to CTU before nine...do you want to shower first?" Michelle asked.

"No, you go ahead, you know I can get ready in 15 minutes...unless you want company in the shower," he suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry," she said, kissing him lightly. "We really do have to get to work sometime this morning."

"If you insist..." he consented reluctantly as she headed toward the bathroom.

Less than two hours later, they pulled into CTU in their separate vehicles - it was better to avoid suspicion, and anyway, Michelle had driven her car to Tony's the previous evening. Parking, they greeted each other like it was the first time that day, but Tony's gaze was enough to remind Michelle of the morning they had. She bit her lip and smiled slightly as they entered the bullpen, then they were all business.

"Adam, did you get that report sent over to Division last night?" Michelle asked, remembering the phone call she had received from Ryan.

"Yeah, Chappell was hounding me about it," he replied, still wrapped up in his computer screen. "Speak of the devil..." Adam muttered as he spotted the bureaucrat making his way across the bullpen. Most of the analysts gave him a wide berth.

"Good morning, Ryan," said Michelle. She had always had a soft spot for him, even though he was hated by most of his subordinates, and she suspected that he could really be a nice guy under his "work" exterior. She almost felt bad that he was always left out of the camaraderie between CTU employees, and made a point to include him whenever she could.

"Hi, Michelle," He gave what could be called a smile, which disappeared when he turned to Adam. "Adam, are you caught up on your work yet?"

"Yeah, almost," he grumbled. "The only reason I'm behind in the first place is because I had to do that whole report Chloe was supposed to be working on!" Adam and Chloe were too much alike, their personalities clashed and they fought like cats and dogs.

"I heard that," Chloe snapped from her station, "and it definitely wasn't my responsibility! We're understaffed here, Ryan!" The short-tempered analyst was never afraid to speak up.

"That reminds me, O'Brian," he said calmly. "We just hired a new computer technician, and I need you to get her up-to-date on some of the newest protocols."

Chloe spun in her chair. "What?! Why me? You know I'm not good with idiotic newbies." Michelle stifled a smile.

"Well...her employer specifically requested that you be the one to train her." Ryan looked slightly afraid that she would explode at him.

"And who would that be?" inquired Chloe.

"Jack," Ryan said cautiously.

"And...why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?" Chloe was suspicious, and Michelle had to admit she was getting the same vibes.

"Well...her name is Kim..." Ryan hedged.

"Kim BAUER?" Chloe was incredulous. "Why?!"

"Well, Jack thought she could use a stable job..."

Chloe snorted. "CTU, stable? More like he wanted to be able to look out for her!"

"She's qualified," Chappell defended himself. "And I won't let Jack protect her from anything any other agent would have to do."

"As long as he knows what he's getting into..." she muttered and walked off, no doubt going to discuss the situation with Jack.

"That went well," Adam smirked.

"All right, back to work," ordered Chappell. "Michelle, I need to talk to you and Tony." For a moment, she wondered if he had found out about them, but then he added, "Jack, too, once Chloe's done with him. Meet me in conference room 3 in 15 minutes."

"I'll go tell Tony," she said. Still curious, she made her way to Tony's office. Usually, if someone higher up wanted to talk to the three of them, it was because they had disobeyed orders or completely disregarded every protocol in the book. She couldn't remember doing anything of that nature in the recent past, though, so she had no idea what the meeting was about.

She knocked quickly, then opened the door. "Tony?"

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, looking up from his computer and rubbing his eyes. "What's up?"

"Chappell wants to see you, me, and Jack in conference 3 in about 10 minutes. Any idea what that's about?"

He thought a minute. "No...we haven't gotten into any trouble lately, have we?" he asked with a smile.

"That's about what went through my mind," she admitted, "but I couldn't think of anything. I don't think he could have found out about us...maybe it's about what happened at Jack's last night? But I'm not sure why Chappell would need to talk to us about that - the police probably got statements from Jack and Kate, and it was pretty obvious what happened."

"I'm sure it's nothing, honey," he reassured her. "Let's go get Jack and find out, shall we?"

They walked together down the stairs and over to Jack's office. Michelle raised a hand to knock, but before she could, Chloe opened the door and stormed past them. As Michelle covered a smirk, Tony shot her a questioning look. "Later," she mouthed, and they entered Jack's office.

"Hey, you two," said Jack, looking slightly traumatized. Michelle assumed that was from the time spent arguing with Chloe. "What's up?"

"Chappelle wants to see the three of us in conference three in ten minutes," she explained.

"And neither of us can remember shattering any major protocols lately," added Tony, "so we were wondering if you had any idea what this is about?"

Jack thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, I've got nothing, but it sure makes me curious. Chappelle will be there early, let's get going and see what he wants."

The trio entered the conference room to find Chappell waiting for them. "Take a seat," he said, sliding a folder to each of them. Michelle flipped hers open to find information about some kind of field mission. She looked up and waited for Chappell to explain.

"As you know, we've been gathering info on a Mexican drug operation run by two brothers – Ramon and Hector Salazar. We know they have a major heroin business, but Intel suggests that's a cover-up for something more serious, and they could eventually become a threat to U.S. security."

Jack, who was up to date on the Salazar situation, had been reading the brief while Tony and Michelle listened to Chappell. He suddenly looked up, smirking. "What?" Tony asked him, feeling like he was missing something.

"Nothing," Jack replied innocently. "Just keep listening. Ryan...please get to the point."

"I'm getting there," he grumbled, then continued, "The problem is, we have no real info on them. They're pretty paranoid, hard to get close to. Infiltrating their staff would be too dangerous, almost impossible. Our best bet is the nearby ranch that's for sale – from there, we would be close enough to run recon missions without risking setting up a base they could stumble on."

"And your point..." Tony still didn't understand why he was telling them like this.

"Well...we can't exactly just buy the ranch and set up a CTU, Las Nieves. The Salazars are sure to check out their new neighbors – like I said, they're cautious. So we need to take it over as an actual working ranch, get some hired help, and make it look normal. For that, we're going to need someone to run it...and we think it should be two agents undercover as a married couple. We don't know what kind of connections the Salazars have, so these agents would have to keep up the couple act around the ranch hands and generally everyone."

Jack, Michelle, and Tony all fought to keep their expressions blank as they saw where this was going. "So...you want them to be the two to do it," Jack finished for Chappelle, an amused smile barely detectable on his face.

"Right," Ryan confirmed. "Just for a week, maybe, till we get something concrete on the Salazars. If everything goes as planned, they'll never realize you aren't Tony and Michelle Remmel, a newly married couple who has no clue what it takes to run a ranch. When we're done, you'll suddenly realize ranching is too stressful and uncertain for you, and sell the place. Jack, you're going to be the lead agent working with them on this, because you're already familiar with the Salazars."

Tony and Michelle knew if they made eye contact with each other, they'd probably burst out laughing, so they looked straight ahead at Chappelle. Jack decided to help them out. "If there's nothing else, Ryan, I can start briefing them now?"

"OK, that's all I've got. When Jack's done going over everything with you, you can take the rest of the day off to pack and prepare. You'll fly out at 9 tomorrow morning. Come to me with any questions." The three agents sat frozen till the door closed behind them, then they exploded in laughter.

"He has no idea!" Jack said.

"Let's keep it that way," suggested Tony. "He'd never let us take this if he knew we were involved...he's switch one of us in a heartbeat." He decided this wasn't the time to bring up his concerns about keeping Michelle safe.

"And this is one undercover mission I'm actually looking forward to! It shouldn't be too hard to fool the ranch hands," she joked.

"Yeah, since anyone who's seen you outside of work in the last year probably already thinks you're a married couple," teased Jack. "The hard part will be keeping CTU from finding out you actually ARE together!"

"They'll just think we're _very_ good at acting," Michelle said with a smile.

The trio laughed and joked as they went over every piece of Intel they had about the Salazars, then every detail about their made-up characters. They were allowed to use their real names because it was easier than trying to remember to call each other by fake ones, and the Salazars wouldn't have access to the databases they would need to discover that the "Remmels" were actually government agents. When they had picked over everything in the file, Jack said, "Well, I'll leave you two in here to discuss this...you know where to find me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Jack...and thanks for keeping quiet with Chappelle," Tony said.

Once Jack left, Michelle waited expectantly for Tony to speak. She could tell something had been bothering him; he didn't seem as excited about this mission as she was. "Chelle..." he started. "Are you sure you want to do this? I know you can handle it, but these are dangerous people. No one would think any less of you if you turned it down. I'm not going to push you either way, but you know how I feel about putting you at any risk..."

"Of course I want to do it, Tony." She was firm, but she didn't seem angry. "These are our jobs, and like we told Jack, we can't let our relationship get in the way."

"If you're sure...you know there's nobody I'd rather do this with than you, but my priority is keeping you safe."

"We'll both be fine, Tony. Think of it as a paid vacation!"

He laughed. "I love you, Chelle."

"I love you too," she said. "We better get out of here so we can pack...it's going to take a while."

Tony grimaced thinking how long it would take her – she would no doubt take everything in her bedroom and bathroom. "I think you might be the slowest packer in history. I bet it'll take me less than half an hour."

"If you're so speedy, why don't you get enough for an extra night and we can sleep at my place?" she suggested, and smirked coyly. "Then you can help me decide what clothes to take."

Tony liked the thought of that. "You convinced me," he said quickly. "Now, I have a couple things to take care of here...I'll be at your place in a couple hours?"

"OK, I'll finish up here then go get started packing," she agreed. He kissed her quickly before leaving. "See you soon."

Tony left conference room 3 with a smile on his face, but quickly turned serious when he neared Jack's office. He knocked, then stuck his head inside. "Hey, have a second?" he asked.

"Sure," said Jack, swiveling in his chair. "What's up?"

"About this mission," Tony began. "How dangerous will it be?"

"Not really at all," Jack answered. He thought the question was strange: Tony was usually like him, rushing into a situation without caring about possible threats to himself. Then he realized the reason for the caution. "Tony, I know you and Michelle have been dating for almost two years and have obviously managed to keep it from interfering with your jobs. Really, I'm impressed, but I can tell you're nervous about her going into the field. You need to remember it's part of her job, and she's just as well-trained as you, me, or any other CTU agent."

"I know, but if something were to happen to her...I'd never forgive myself. I love her, Jack."

"Tony, this is a relatively safe mission. And don't forget, you'll be with her every step of the way, and I'll be working from the underground mission ops station to keep you both safe. I know it's hard, but you're going to have to deal with Michelle doing fieldwork eventually. Remember, she's very good at her job. And I promise I'll do whatever it takes to protect you both."

"Thanks, Jack. It helps a lot," said Tony.

"Now go pack, because I'm willing to bet when you're done with that, you'll be getting together with her somewhere."

Tony laughed and admitted Jack was right. "Bye, Jack."

**A/N: Sorry if the "undercover as a married couple" thing is kind of cliché, I just thought it was funny for them to go undercover as a couple while pretending not to be a couple. Anyway, please review & I'll put up the next chapter soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own 24 or any of the characters. Do I really have to put this on every chapter?**

_**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, they are my motivation to write! And I wanted to keep this rated T so the end kind of cuts off, sorry )**_

At his apartment, Tony found the duffel bag he usually used for short-notice trips. He was used to this kind of thing, and he kept most of his toiletries and things in a travel case anyway, so all he really needed to pack was a few changes of clothes. The "moving company" was at the ranch today, bringing enough furniture, kitchen items, and other personal effects to make it look like he and Michelle really were a newlywed couple intending to live in the ranch house.

As Tony packed, he tried to sort out his thoughts about the mission. His initial reaction had been less than excited – Michelle in the field just wasn't something he was crazy about. Jack had been right, she was just capable as any other CTU agent, but she was _his_CTU agent. He knew it was unfair for her to have to accept him running headlong into dangerous situations, while he couldn't do the same with her...but it was his job to protect her, wasn't it? That probably wasn't the best thing to say to her: she loved her job, and would think that implied she wasn't good enough. There was really no way to talk her out of this mission, and if everything went as planned, it wouldn't put her in much danger anyway. He knew that if he couldn't put this out of his mind, he'd go crazy thinking about all the possibilities, so he turned on the radio and tried to keep his mind on other things as he drove to Michelle's place.

20 minutes later, Tony knocked on her door. She threw it open in seconds, and he hugged her. "Hey," he said. "How's the packing going?"

"I just got started," she admitted. "Are you finished already?!"

"Yeah...Want some help?" he asked.

"Well, I think I better do it myself...you can come keep me company, though," she suggested.

They walked back to her bedroom, and he flopped down on her bed. As she disappeared into her closet, he grinned and said, "How 'bout you bring that sexy black shirt you wore last week?"

She laughed and came out a few seconds later, holding the clothing in question. "This one? It's just a plain shirt..."

"Believe me," he said. "It's sexy. Anything is gorgeous on you."

"You're so sweet," she laughed, crossing to the bed and kissing him. "But why do I get the feeling you're just after...this?" She climbed on top of him and pushed him backwards, pressing her body to his and swirling her tongue around his lips.

He groaned. "God, you're so amazing." Rolling her over, he looked into her eyes. "Chelle...of course I love that," he said seriously. "But you know I really do think you're the most beautiful woman alive, right? I need you more than you'll ever understand."

"Tony..." she whispered. "I do understand, because I love you just as much. I love being with you because I know that whatever happens, wherever we are, all that matters is that we're together. No one and nothing could ever take your place."

Lost for words, all Tony could do was lean down and kiss her gently, tasting her soft lips on his. "I love you, and I can't wait to spend the next few days with you."

"It's going to be hard to keep CTU from thinking we're going a little overboard on the acting," she laughed. "Good thing Jack will be the only agent to really have direct contact with us." Reluctantly, she dragged herself off of Tony. "I better go finish packing."

"While you do that, I'll go try to scrape up some dinner for us from the nonexistent food I'm sure you have in your kitchen," Tony teased. The first time he tried to cook at her apartment, he was astonished at the lack of ingredients for actual meals in her cupboards. It was mostly sandwich stuff, frozen dinners, and peanut butter. She insisted there was no point in keeping her cupboards stocked when she was never home - not that she would attempt to cook even if she was.

"You know, that's one thing I'll enjoy about this week - your cooking!" Michelle commented. "We wouldn't want our ranch house to burn down, so I'll just stay out of the kitchen."

"That would probably be smart," Tony agreed as he left the room.

Half an hour later, the couple sat down to a dinner of stir-fry, made from anything Tony had found in the kitchen. "You did check to make sure this stuff wasn't spoiled, right?" Michelle asked, knowing things in her house sometimes hung around longer than they should.

"Don't worry, I learned that lesson a long time ago," he laughed.

They chatted and teased lightheartedly over dinner until Michelle's phone rang. She rolled her eyes, assuming it was someone from CTU, and answered it: "Dessler. Oh, hi Danny." Tony held back a grimace at the sound of her brother's name. He wasn't Danny's favorite person, and the feeling was mutual. Ever since the day Danny had tried to strangle an employee in CTU, even if he did have a reason, Tony had been wary of the man. Michelle was always looking out for him, and he never seemed to appreciate it. Tony respected the fact that he was her brother, but at some point he wanted to protect her from Danny, because it seemed like she ended up in tears after most of their conversations.

"Sorry, Danny, I won't be able to make it," Michelle continued. "No, I'm going out of town for a while...a work trip." She knew she couldn't give him any specifics, the mission was too classified. "I know...you know how my job is, I don't really get a choice in these things. Of course I do, its just that...what?! Why? No, Danny, she doesn't have a right to be there! You need to think through what you're doing to Rachel with this...not to mention the kids!" Tony winced. It didn't sound like Danny was sticking to his decision to try to work it out with his family. A few years ago, he had left his wife and two kids for Carrie Turner, who also happened to be Michelle's boss at division. Carrie had broken it off a few months later, and Danny still blamed her for "ruining his life". He had no one to turn to, so Michelle had become his main support, trying to get him to go back and actually try with Rachel, his wife. Since he had agreed, he was occasionally caught with Carrie, which both Rachel and Michelle were getting sick of. Tony knew Carrie really was a manipulative bitch who wouldn't give much thought to the fact that she was tearing apart a family with her whims and games, but at some point, Danny had to take responsibility for his own actions.

"Listen, Danny, I'm really sorry I can't be there, but I don't think Carrie should be either...It is my business, because you're hurting Rachel, the kids, yourself, and me with all this." Michelle closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, obviously not getting anywhere with the discussion. Tony went and stood behind her, massaging her shoulders. She reached back and took one of his hands in hers as a silent thank-you. "You're right, I can't tell you what to do, you're a grown man who makes his own decisions. I just hope you realize that you're making the wrong one here. Tell Mollie happy birthday for me...I'll call you when I get home." She hung up the phone and rested her head in her hands.

Tony was silent, waiting for her to speak, then he felt her shoulders shaking. "Come here, baby," he said softly, leading her over to the couch. He sat, then pulled her into his lap.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, then she said, "He's back with Carrie. He was calling to tell me that Mollie's 4th birthday party is this Saturday, and I said I wouldn't be able to make it. He got kind of mad, then said I just didn't want to go because Carrie is going to be there - at his daughter's birthday party! I told him she shouldn't be anywhere near it, she doesn't even know Mollie, but he got defensive and said he could make his own choices. Mollie and Cole have to be confused...and Rachel is probably so upset. I should go call her." Tony was constantly impressed by Michelle's involvement with the family, even when Danny wasn't with them. She loved her niece and nephew, and through all of this, she and Rachel had become close.

"You can go call her in a second, baby...stay here for a little bit," Tony suggested, pulling her closer. Michelle gladly complied, laying her head on his should and relaxing in his arms. She loved it when he held her like this - he was so safe, so strong. There was nowhere she would rather be than here, with him, no matter what else was going on. After the years of dating, she realized she had trouble sleeping without feeling his arms around her, listening to his comforting breathing.

After a few minutes of just soaking him in, she reluctantly pulled away and went to call her sister-in-law. Tony decided to do the dishes while he waited, even though he knew Michelle liked to insist on cleaning up, since he always cooked for them. He hoped she and Rachel could comfort and encourage each other - after Danny's latest decision, they would both need it. Tony himself wasn't very good at helping Michelle with these problems, because he knew she wouldn't appreciate the best solution he could think of - wringing Danny's neck till he stopped hurting the two wonderful women in his life. Still, Tony sympathised with Michelle and tried to hold back his ideas, if only because he loved her so much and for her sake, would refrain from pounding her brother to a pulp.

Ten minutes later, Michelle stepped back into the kitchen. "Oh, Tony, you didn't have to do the dishes! We're at my apartment, after all."

"It's no problem, Chelle," he said. "How's Rachel doing?"

"Shocked, really. She thought things with Danny were going so well..." Tony could read the sadness on her face.

"I'm sorry, baby," he said, desperate to make her feel better. "I know she really appreciates having your support through all this...and you know you have me, no matter what."

"Thanks, Tony." She hugged him and just rested for a moment. "Enough of this mood...let's do something fun tonight," she said, trying to cheer them both up.

"All right, any ideas?" Tony liked the suggestion.

"Hmm...we did a movie last night..." She thought for a moment, then her face lit up. "How about we go mini-golfing!"

He had to smile at her excitement. "Sure, sounds like fun!"

40 minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of a nearby putt-putt course. It was pirate-themed - a little cheesy, but still cute. Michelle was as excited as any of the kids, and Tony had to admit her smile was contagious as she dragged him over to pick out their clubs. He grabbed a dark blue ball, but she dug through the bucket until she found the one she wanted - bright yellow. "It's lucky," she explained. "So this way I'll beat you for sure."

"Chelle...remember when we played this forever ago?" he asked.

"Mmhmm, I think it was our second date," she replied. "Why?"

A mischievous smile crept across his face. "Remember who won?"

"Only because you cheated!" she accused him, laughing.

"Hey, I don't see a rule that says you can only hit your own ball!"

"Yeah, right," Michelle rolled her eyes and smirked. "You just couldn't accept losing to a girl."

"Fine, this time, I'll play by the rules and beat you fair and square," he agreed.

Tony apparently had a different definition of "rules", and the round was filled with laughter, flirting, and light-hearted arguments over some of his creative strategies. Still, Michelle managed to come out two strokes ahead. As they walked hand-in-hand back to the club rack, she teased, "See, even making up your own rules isn't enough to beat the master!"

She struck some sort of pose with her club and ball, and Tony couldn't help but laugh and pull her in for a hug. "Good job, sweetheart, I guess you beat me," he said patronizingly.

"Oh, that's what happened...you weren't trying," she laughed, deciding to let him get away with it. He was glad she did - a man's pride could only take so much, and losing to his girlfriend in mini-golf was pushing it.

They knew they should head back to Michelle's so she could finish packing, but neither wanted the night to end. "You know, we're only a few blocks from Razzleberries," said Tony, referring to their favorite ice cream place. "Wanna walk over and get a cone before we leave?"

"Sounds great," Michelle agreed, wrapping an arm around his waist as they started that way. The ice cream shop was only a few blocks away, and they arrived there quickly.

"Hey, Mack," Tony greeted the man behind the counter.

"My best customers!" he said. The two were regulars there, and knew almost all of the few employees by name. Mack, a cheerful older man, was one of their favorites, and visiting him was high on their list of reasons to stop in. "What can I get for you today?"

Tony considered the menu. "I think I'll try the peanut butter ice cream," he said. "In a cone, please." He made a point to try something different every time they came - the opposite of Michelle, who was a creature of habit. "Your usually, sweetheart?" he asked her, smiling. Mack was reaching for the mint ice cream to make her mint-chocolate chip cone even as she nodded.

They took their treats outside and sat on a nearby bench to enjoy them. "Tony..." Michelle said hesitantly.

"Yeah, baby?" He looked at her, wondering why she sounded so uncertain.

"Do you think CTU will ever find out about us?"

He thought for a minute. "You know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, right baby?" She nodded and smiled. "So I'd say they're going to find out eventually...why, do you think we should tell them soon?"

"Not before this mission...I don't want to risk them switching one of us off it. How pissed would Chappelle be if he found out DURING the next week?"

Tony laughed at the idea. "Well, there wouldn't be much he could do about it...and he can't be too upset, he's the one who always says nothing else matters when we're in the field."

"I guess we should just wait till we get back, and think about it then," she said. "I don't know how either of us, or Jack, is going to be able to keep a straight face for the next few days, though!"

"Definitely. I thought Jack was going to explode before Ryan finished briefing us on this - he obviously knew what was coming!"

"Yeah," Michelle agreed. "I was only half listening to Ryan talk, I kept trying to decode that weird look Jack was giving us."

"We're going to have find out which areas of our house this week have surveillance..." Tony said, "and which don't." He gave Michelle a mischievous look.

"Come on," she said, laughing. "We better get going." The two poked their heads back inside Razzleberries to say goodbye to Mack, then made their way back to Tony's car, pausing occasionally to window shop or just take in the scenery.

It was after 10:00 by the time they got back to Michelle's apartment, and they knew they would have to be up early to get to the airport for their 9:00 flight the next morning. Michelle quickly finished packing, and they both got ready for bed. As she slipped under the covers next to Tony, he pulled her to him. "You're so beautiful, Michelle," he whispered, nibbling along her shoulder.

"Mmm, Tony...I love it when you do that." She rolled over and kissed him passionately, feeling her entire body press against his.

"As much as you love this?" he asked, kissing and licking his way to the sensitive spot on her neck. He knew this drove her crazy.

She moaned softly, increasing his desire. "You're right...I think this is better." She began to tug at his shirt, wanting to feel his bare skin under her fingers. He rolled on top of her, holding himself up as she removed his shirt. She ran her fingers up and down his chest, and felt him harden against her leg.

"God, Chelle, the things you do to me with just your touch are amazing." He needed to get closer to her, feel her skin against his...

They made love until they were both exhausted, then fell into a peaceful sleep cuddled together, his arm draped over her.

**Please review it, next chapter coming ASAP probably in a couple days!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still don't own 24 or any of the characters.**

When her alarm went off at 5 the next morning, Tony could have sworn they had just fallen asleep. He hit the clock to shut it up, then rolled over to kiss Michelle awake. "Hey, baby," he whispered into her hair. She began to stir, then opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she mumbled. He swore his heart skipped a beat when she gave him that sleepy smile.

Leaning down to touch his lips to hers, he said, "Guess what today is...our first day as a 'married couple.'"

She laughed, but had to admit to herself she liked how that sounded. "We better get up and get to the airport then."

"If we must," Tony sighed. "You can shower first, I don't feel like moving yet."

He layed back and just watched her walk towards the bathroom. She was so gorgeous it was stunning, but there was something more than just beauty...Tony knew he had completely fallen for her on every level. When she asked him the night before if he thought CTU would ever find out about their relationship, it had taken him by surprise. He had been considering the idea of marriage for a long time, but her question made him wonder if she was thinking along the same lines. He knew he could never risk losing her, and thought she felt the same way, so he had been trying to convince himself she was really asking _when_ they were going to tell their superiors about them.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her. He would never get over how sexy she was like that; it made him want to pull off the towel and drag her back into the shower...or the bed, or the bathroom counter, whatever was nearest. "Damn," he muttered, purposefully loud enough for her to hear.

"What?" she asked innocently, looking over his shoulder at him as she walked into her closet. "You better get in the shower while I get dressed."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" he complained. She dropped her towel just before she closed the closet door, and he caught a glimpse of the body that drove him crazy. "Now you're just trying to tease me."

She laughed from behind the closed door. "Shower, now," she ordered.

He reluctantly complied. "By the way, I picked up some bagels on the way here yesterday, so no need to try to cook breakfast."

He could almost hear her smirk. "Like I would anyway. Burning down my apartment building before this mission even starts wouldn't exactly inspire confidence from Division."

Tony showered quickly, then dressed and joined Michelle in her kitchen. "Thanks for the bagel, Tony...cinnamon, my favorite," she said, handing him his usual, blueberry. "When is Jack coming to pick us up?" They had decided to take one car to the airport and try to avoid the hassle of parking.

"Around 6:30," he answered. She glanced at the clock and saw they had just under half an hour. "Are you all packed?"

"I just have a few more last-minute things to throw in." She knew he would tease her about the size of her bags, but as she explained to him before, they just had different approaches to packing. While he only took things he was fairly certain he would need, she started with pretty much everything she owned, then eliminated things she knew she _wouldn't_ need. She ended up with way too much stuff, but her motto was "better safe than sorry," and in a mission like this, anything could happen. Besides, they were supposed to have just returned from their honeymoon, and she knew any bride would pack ridiculous amounts of clothing for that.

Michelle and Tony both rushed around the apartment to finish getting ready, and Tony began to move bags to the door so they could load the CTU car when Jack arrived. He knew Jack had only told Chappelle that he would be picking up both Tony and Michelle that morning, and had conveniently forgotten to mention that it would take one stop. There was a knock at the door, and Tony answered it to find Jack there. "Hey, need some help taking bags to the car?" he asked. They each took as much as they could carry and managed to get it all in one trip.

"Wow," Tony panted as they set the luggage in the trunk. "I think Michelle packed for a month."

"Women," Jack rolled his eyes. "The first time Teri and I went to visit her parents together...I thought I was going to have to rent a U-haul." Tony smiled, knowing it was progress for Jack to be able to bring up his wife in a light-hearted conversation. For months after her death, he had closed up and withdrawn every time her name was mentioned.

"I just have to grab a couple things from my car," Tony said. "I'll be right back." He jogged to his SUV and unlocked it, ducking inside the driver's side door. He reached for his sunglasses, then paused. Slowly, he leaned across and opened the glove compartment, then pried open the subtle panel inside hiding a small hollow. His fingers closed around the object he was looking for, and he pulled out the small velvet jewelry box. As he flipped it open and looked at the ring for the thousandth time in the last week, he didn't hear Jack approach the car.

"Finally," Jack said softly.

Tony jumped and whipped around, slamming the box shut and trying to hide it. "Jack..."

"Hey, I can keep a secret," Jack assured him. "Consider it not seen."

Tony paused. "Thanks. I'm trying to work up the nerve to ask her...and to tell Chappelle. _After_ this mission."

"Believe me, she'll say yes. And Chappelle can just suck it." Tony smiled.

"Hey, are you two about ready?" Michelle exited the apartment building and walked over to the car. Tony quickly shoved the box farther into his pocket, then slid out of the car.

"Yeah, we've been waiting for you," he teased, grabbing his sunglasses.

"Well, slowpoke, race you for shotgun," she laughed, shooting off toward the car. He decided to let her have it, and for a moment let himself dwell on how adorable she was as she swung into the front seat, then poked her head up and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're no fun to race," she complained. He ambled over to the car and leaned inside, kissing her nose, then her cheek, then her ear. "Enough teasing," she whispered, and claimed his lips with hers. He couldn't help but groan as she pushed her body up against his, tugging gently on his bottom lip. As he opened his mouth to let her tongue in, Jack smacked the roof of the car.

"Seriously, you two!" he said, smirking. "Can you try to keep your hands off each other for a few minutes? You know you can't be all over each other this week when it's not necessary, or somebody from CTU will wonder what's up."

Michelle blushed, but Tony just growled, "That's why we're taking advantage of the time now. Good thing you already know."

Jack snorted. "Get in, Tony. In your own seat. We have to go or we'll be late for our flight."

The three laughed and joked all the way to the airport, mostly at each others' expense. Through the crisises and quiet moments over the last two years, they formed a trust between them that ran deep. It made them an unstoppable team at work, and good friends outside of it. Michelle had decided that in CTU, relationships between co-workers went one of two ways: absolute trust, or fierce rivalry. In a job where they all regularly put their lives in each others' hands, it was nice to have that trust.

They pulled up to the airport to find two CTU officers waiting. It really wasn't necessary, but Jack had to admit it was nice to be able to hand the keys to one of them instead of leaving the car in the parking garage and carrying their luggage in. The trio entered the airport, and having no patience for lines, used their badges to get through customs and security. Once they found their gate, one of the CTU agents volunteered to sit with their bags so they could walk around the terminal for a while.

They strolled along, looking into the shops, enjoying the chance to relax and act like normal people - as much as they could, anyway. All three of them stayed alert: being agents who spent their days fighting terrorist attacks, they couldn't be completely at ease in an airport. Obviously, since 9/11, plane hijacking had been in the public spotlight, but there were other reasons airports were terrorist targets. Plane bombs were just as effective, and then there was every country's worst nightmare: a bio-weapon, like a virus, released in an airport. Before any agency was even alerted, the situation would become impossible to contain, mostly due to the high numbers of people leaving both by ground and by air. All three of them tried to put morbid thoughts like this out of their minds for the moment, knowing the likelihood of an attack like this was low.

When they were far out of sight of the CTU agent, Tony let himself slip an arm around Michelle. "Are you two ready for this mission?" Jack asked. "It shouldn't be too complicated, just provide a reasonable cover for the tact team operating from underground on your property. All you have to do is keep up the married act."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Tony kissed Michelle's head. "Are you ready to protect our asses all week?" Jack knew he was only half joking; he really was concerned for Michelle's safety.

"Tony..." she said, obviously picking up the same worry.

"Hey, it'll be fine," Jack assured both of them. "You know I'll do whatever it takes. Plus, there shouldn't be any reason for either of you to be in danger. We'll just go in, get our proof, then you can feed everyone your excuse for selling the ranch - it was just more work than you expected. The only reason we really need the cover is that the Mexican government can't know what we're doing; we suspect the Salazars have connections within it," he reminded them.

"Yeah...then we have to pull out and go through some red tape before we can arrest them, right?" Michelle tried to remember what they had been briefed on.

"It's a little more complicated than that," Jack sighed. "We'll probably have to run another undercover mission to get someone inside their actual operation...otherwise we'll never be able to get to them. Right now we're just looking for enough proof to justify doing that."

Tony was still caught on Jack's last statement. "And we know they don't have connections close enough to CTU to realize we aren't who we say we are?" he asked.

"The only people who even know about this are us, a few trusted agents we need to make it happen, Baker's field team, Chappelle, and President Palmer. Hammond doesn't even know all of it, the specifics skipped over Division straight to D.C." Jack explained.

Just then, a voice came over the PA system. "Flight 158 to Mexico City is now boarding from Gate C."

"That's our cue," said Michelle. The three made their way back to the gate and took their carry-on bags from the agent there, thanking him for his help. Knowing how unreliable airlines often were with baggage, they had each packed the essentials for a few days in the smaller bags.

They boarded the 727 and found their business class seats, all next to each other. Jack was pleased to find that they were seated next to the emergency exit...just in case. He slid in to the special window, and Michelle sat next to him, knowing Tony would prefer the aisle. They stowed their bags and settled in, trying to get comfortable for the four-hour flight. Surprisingly, they taxied onto the runway and took off with no delays, and the three started to think of ways to entertain themselves - for serious government agents, they acted remarkably like middle school kids when they got the chance. Tony and Jack wasted no time getting into an argument about which baseball team should be crowned world champions - the Cubs or the Dodgers. Michelle just rolled her eyes and commented that neither team had a winning record the previous season, and obviously the Yankees were superior, causing both men to groan and turn on her together.

Noticing that their loud laughter and heated debate was drawing stares from other passengers, and knowing she was dramatically beaten in the baseball trivia area, Michelle suggested a game of Scrabble. When Jack pointed out they didn't have a board, and it would be impossible to play on a plane even if they did, she told him to quit being a smart-ass and get out his laptop. Tony did the same, and within minutes she had networked the three together so they could play easily.

Halfway through the game, Jack said, "You know, Michelle...I think you somehow programmed this game to let you win." She had as many points as he and Tony put together.

"Just because my vocabulary is twice yours!" she exclaimed, spelling out "latex" on a triple-word square.

"I can see why you're the smart one who works the computers," Tony commented, "while Jack runs around shooting anything that moves."

"Hey, you're getting beaten just as badly as me, Almeida!" Jack protested as Michelle laughed. They finished the game, Michelle beating both of them horribly, and Tony coming out just a few points ahead of Jack.

They passed the rest of the flight just talking, the conversation mostly light-hearted. The next few days wouldn't be easy on any of them, so they tried not to be too serious until they had to. When the "fasten seat belt" light came on and the flight attendants instructed them to prepare for landing, they were all surprised at how quickly the time had flown by.

When the plane taxied to a stop at the gate in Mexico City, the three quickly located their bags on the luggage carousel. "Hey, we actually got all of the things we left with!" Jack commented, surprised.

Michelle laughed. "Come on, have a little faith in the airline."

"Yeah, right. I've flown too many times to have any of that left."

"Add that to the way Murphy's Law tends to come into play whenever the three of us are together..." Tony said. Michelle had to admit it was true: when it came to the trio, whatever could go wrong usually did.

"Well," Michelle smiled, "let's see if we can prove it wrong this week." Tony hoped she was right, and for the hundredth time he said a silent prayer for this to go smoothly, and for Michelle to come out of it unharmed.

"I better go try to find the car they sent for me," Jack said. Tony and Michelle were to rent one and drive to the ranch themselves, so that anyone the Salazars had watching them wouldn't be suspicious. Jack would ride with an agent CTU had sent, and they would enter the underground operations center from the cellar a nearby convenience store. CTU had built the tunnel so the TAC team could come and go from the ranch without drawing attention.

"Bye, Jack...we'll hopefully see you soon. You've got the number for our secure cells." Tony knew they wouldn't have much contact over the next few days.

Seeing his friend's nervousness, Jack said, "You know I've got your backs, Tony. This will be over before you know it." He warned him silently not to smother Michelle in an attempt to keep her safe from practically non-existent danger.

As Jack headed for the parking garage, Tony and Michelle turned to the rental desk. Tony filled out the form using his fake name and information, and listing the ranch address. They found their car, a dark blue Honda Odyssey, and loaded their bags into it.

"Look, Tony, it has a sunroof!" Michelle was thrilled at the discovery as they left the airport. She rolled it back, and he couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked, her head of curls blowing in the wind, her face glowing with excitement.

"You know, I'm really going to enjoy spending these days with you," he said. "We'll technically be working, but it'll pretty much all be free time."

"One problem...CTU will have cameras all over the place." He saw desire flash through her eyes. Damn...when she looked it him like that, he gave himself about ten seconds before he had her pinned up against the nearest wall.

"I guess we'll just have to find the spots they don't, because there's no way I can keep my hands off you for a week," he said mischievously, still feeling the effects of that look.

"Tony...if they found out, what would they do?" He had been debating that question with himself for weeks, and fingering the velvet box in his pocket, he knew he would have to find out soon.

"There isn't much they really can do," he said. "Officially, anyway. There used to be rules about relationships in the office, but those were dropped before..."

"Nina," Michelle said quietly. It wasn't a subject they discussed when they could help it, but it wasn't a secret, either. During her first months of work at CTU, she realized Tony had a chip on his shoulder the size of LA. He came off as indifferent and not very friendly at first, but she started to see through that to the hurting man underneath, and bit by bit, he let her closer. She had taken what she could get, not pushing, but always there for him, and he didn't want to ruin that by telling her about Nina. Then, after nearly half a year at CTU, she was eating lunch with several tech girls when the conversation turned to Tony Almeida.

_"Did you see him today?" Lisa pretended to fan her face. "Wearing all black, with those sunglasses...he looks so mysterious!"_

_Sarah giggled in agreement. "The tall, dark, and handsome look definitely works for him. I wonder if he knows everyone here would kill to go out with him!"_

_"I bet he doesn't care," Kory said. "After the Nina fiasco last year, he probably won't ever date someone from here again." The girls nodded and murmured their agreement._

_"What do you mean?" Michelle asked, realizing she was a little alarmed by the idea of him being against office relationships._

_"You didn't hear about what Nina did to him?"_

_She knew Nina Myers, the woman she had replaced, was in jail for treason and the murder of the wife of a former CTU agent, but she didn't see how that would affect Tony's personal life. Since coming to CTU, Michelle was friendly to her co-workers, but mostly kept to herself and did her work well, so she hadn't heard much about the chaos of the last year. "No, I guess I haven't really been paying attention to the office gossip," Michelle admitted. "I know Nina was a traitor and killed some people..."_

_Lisa leaned in, excited to have the story. "You know Jack Bauer, right? Former director of CTU?"_

_"I know of him," Michelle said. "Isn't he the agent who's wife Nina killed?"_

_"Yeah, but that's not the whole story...Jack and Nina were having an affair before, but Jack decided to go back to his wife and try to work things out. Nina was OK with it; she hadn't actually cared much about Jack 'cause, you know, she was a terrorist and all...she was really just trying to gain his trust and get to some information." _

_"Wow..." Michelle said, still not seeing what any of this had to do with Tony. _

_"So after Jack left her, Nina needed a new source of info. She didn't waste any time seducing Tony, which wasn't hard because he had been jealous of Jack the whole time they were together. She treated him like crap, but for some reason he stayed with her - maybe he liked having something Jack didn't, or maybe the sex was just really good." Lisa shrugged. "So the day Jack's family was kidnapped and she was exposed as a traitor, Tony was pretty torn up about it. He wasn't exactly Mr. Personality before, but ever since he's been a quiet, stick-to-business kind of guy."_

_Suddenly things made sense to Michelle - the way Tony seemed so hurt, almost bitter; why he kept his distance when she was first hired; and the pain that flashed in his eyes every time someone mentioned Nina Myers. Michelle had quickly excused herself from the conversation, trying to process all of this. That day, she decided not to ask about Nina. When he was ready to tell her, he would._

"Chelle...I know I've told you this before, but thank you so much for being so understanding about that. After her...I thought I'd never love again. I felt like my heart had been shredded and there was no point in even trying. When you first walked into CTU and George told me you'd be taking her place...my first thought was that I had to keep my distance at all costs. I knew it wouldn't be easy because you're so beautiful, but as I got to know you, I realized it would be impossible. Your gorgeous eyes could see through every defense I put up, and I found myself falling hard. Before I knew it, I was completely in love with you, but convinced you didn't feel the same about me. How could anyone so perfect want to be with someone like me? Then, the day of the bomb..."

"Oh, Tony...I'd been in love with you so long before then but I convinced myself you were off limits for lots of reasons. There's something I've never told you about that day..."

He looked at her, almost concerned. "What happened, baby?"

"When Jack was trying to convince me to help him..." She looked away, remembering how it had caused tension between them. "I didn't want to go behind Mason's back, but Jack told me he wasn't fit to run CTU. I was so shocked to find out he was dying. We obviously weren't the best of friends, but I had always respected him, and to find out he would be yanked away so fast..." Tony saw this was hard for her to remember, but she continued. "I went to Mason's office later, to verify some protocols or something, then I just stood there looking at him. He looked so frail, and he could see in my eyes that I knew. He started to talk to me, about lots of things - his son, how he came to work at CTU, and how he had always wanted to become a teacher. The he said something I'll never forget. 'Michelle,' he said, 'Find something that makes you happy and go for it. Everything else is just background noise." I realized you were the one thing I wanted."

Her voice cracked, and Tony saw the tears escape from her eyes. He reached across and took her hand. "Oh, Chelle...he was a good man. I owe him so much; it's thanks to him that I have you. He was right, as long as we're together, all this - the mission, Chappelle's 'relationship in the office' BS, everything going on at home - is just background noise."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she said tearfully.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. Forever&ever, I promise you."

Minutes later, they pulled up to the ranch that would be their home for the next few days. "It's gorgeous!" Michelle exclaimed. The hills were covered with colorful wild grass, spreading out across the property. A long driveway lead up to a huge Spanish-style house, almost a mansion, painted white and decorated with red and navy trim. The wooden fencing lining the property was more for decoration than protection, and even the fields in the distance were naturally beautiful.

Tony parked the car near the welcoming double doors in the front of the house. "And it's all ours," he said, kissing her. He knew the CTU agents would consider this part of their cover, but from the way she flicked her tongue across his, she certainly didn't. "Mmm...you know you're just teasing me here," he mumbled into her lips.

She laughed quietly and pulled away. "Come on, let's start unloading our stuff and find our bedroom."

"And find out if it has cameras," he added under his breath. They both took their bags out of the rental car, and Tony fumbled with the keys he had been given, finally swinging open the door. The inside was every bit as elegant as the outside, even if it was a little under-decorated. From the entryway, they could see into the stylish but functional kitchen. They turned to the left and dragged their luggage up the grand staircase, quickly locating the master bedroom upstairs.

Michelle dropped her bag. "Wow..." she breathed. The four-poster king-sized bed was made up with a detailed stitched comforter, and at least eight pillows in silk cases lay at the top. An ornately carved dresser and two matching chairs also occupied the room. She made her way across the plush carpet into the bathroom, which was at least the size of her bedroom at home. "Look, a jaccuzi bath!" she discovered, smiling suggestively at Tony.

"We'll have to find a way to take advantage of that," he said, equally impressed with their living quarters. This was by far the easiest field mission he had ever heard of - a week with his girlfriend, in a room that resembled a honeymoon suite.

They spent a few minutes unpacking, claiming drawers and closet space, chatting casually about the mission and whatever came to mind. Then Michelle suggested, "Why don't we go check out the house? I think we have a couple hired hands to meet, too."

Tony pulled out a folder from his computer bag. "Oh, Jack gave me briefs on all of them. Let's see...we have Enrique and Juan, brothers who are going to get started on some crops and things, and Racquel, who's in her early 20's, to help with cooking and cleaning. Jack doesn't think any of them will be too nosy, they're all just looking for any work they can get."

Michelle read the papers on the three, then said, "All right, let's go introduce ourselves."

"Oh, wait," Tony said. "You forgot your 'wedding ring'."

Michelle laughed, digging through her bags till she found it. Out of everyone at CTU, Tony was the one who orignally pointed out they would need rings. Where Chappelle had found these, he didn't know, but Michelle wasn't crazy about hers.

"It's so flashy," she complained. The huge diamond was surrounded by smaller green and purple stones, and it certainly did draw attention. Tony smiled to himself, running his fingers over the velvet in his pocket once again. He hoped she would like the ring he picked out more - it was definitely more her style. "What?" She noticed his grin.

"Nothing," he said, leaving his thoughts behind for the moment. "Come on, let's go check out our new home."

_A/N: Next chapter hopefully coming soon!_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wasn't thrilled with this chapter, so review it and give suggestions please...  
Disclaimer: Still don't own 24.**

The happy couple headed down the huge staircase, still in awe of their ranch house. They passed through the living room area into the kitchen, finding a young woman bustling about the stove. A pan sizzled in front of her, and delicious smells wafted their way. "Hello," Michelle said.

The girl spun around. "Oh! Hola! I am Racquel. I start dinner, I think you be hungry after your travels, Mr. and Mrs. Remmel?"

Michelle smiled. "Please, call us Michelle and Tony. We really appreciate you helping us out here...that looks delicious!"

She looked pleased, if a little embarrassed, at the attention. "I am glad to help," she said. "I try to speak English, but I am sorry about my mistakes..."

"It's completely fine," Michelle assured her. "Can I help with the meal at all?"

Tony laughed. "I'm not sure you want her help," he told Racquel.

"He's probably right," Michelle admitted with a smile, "I'm not much with cooking. But I could set the table or something!"

"No, senora, you go explore for a while. I will have it ready at 12."

"All right...Thank you, Racquel," she said.

Tony and Michelle decided to walk outside and look around the property. They had been warned not to venture too far south and risk stumbling onto the Salazar ranch, so they headed out to the west of the house, towards a barn and fenced-in area that looked almost new. Wandering across the lawn holding his hand, Michelle realized she could get used to this: just the two of them, with no reason to leave each others' side. Usually, when they were together, they were battling cell phones constantly ringing to tell them LA was in danger again. Now, they could just relax together - compared to a day at CTU, the ranch chores they would be doing certainly still fit their definition of relaxing. Throughout their days at the ranch, when they had to be separated, it woudn't really matter because they would be reunited soon, at bedtime if not sooner. It was remarkably like they were actually married, and Michelle didn't want it to end.

As they walked in comfortable silence, Tony's thoughts were along the same lines. He couldn't bear the thought of ever waking up without her at his side, and the ring in his pocket was never far from his mind. The only thing stopping him from making serious plans on how to ask her - he wanted it to be memorable - was that it meant CTU would have to find out about them. It could probably still be kept relatively quiet if it wasn't for the female analysts that seemed to be all ears and mouths: they had a field day with gossip after the Nina situation, and he knew they would start talking when they heard he was _engaged _to his second-in-command. It didn't matter what they said, though, he was in love with the girl by his side. Her smile, her laugh, the sparkle in her eyes...he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her happy, because that was what would make _him_ happy.

They reached the barn area, and Michelle said, "I wonder if there are any animals inside!" She tugged him toward the door and peeked inside cautiously. The smell told them immediately that it hadn't been long since it was inhabited, and when their eyes adjusted to the dark, they saw three horses standing spread in separate stalls. Michelle squealed with delight and approached the nearest one. "Look, they even have name plates! Hey, 

Sparkles," she addressed the horse. It snorted appreciatively and nuzzled the hand she offered. "Tony, can we come back later with apples or sugar cubes or something?"

"Definitely," he agreed, loving the way her excitement lit up the dim barn. Blindsided by love for her, he drew her close and tenderly kissed her. She was a caught off guard, but slowly reciprocated, enjoying their time to themselves. Her hands crept behind his neck, then her arms, pulling their bodies closer together. As he felt her respond, his tongue slid over her lips, taking its time slipping between them, tasting her. Their tongues danced together, and she heard herself moan softly. At this, he took two steps forward, pressing her against a wall, running his hands up her sides and over her perfect breasts. She loved the sensation, moving her hips lightly against his, feeling his arousal. He groaned and mumbled, "Chelle...Dios, quiero tu. _(God, I want you.)_" He felt her shiver at that.

It drove her crazy when he spoke Spanish to her - it sounded so passionate and desperate, and she knew he only slipped into the language when he was worked up about something. "Oh, Tony...you know what that does to me. I need this."

With a final groan, he pulled himself from her. "We have to stop...before it's impossible for both of us."

She growled with disappointment, but knew he was right. "How are we going to last a week?" she complained.

"Oh, I think I forgot to tell you...Jack happened to mention there are no cameras in our bedroom," Tony said mischievously.

"In that case...how long till bedtime?" she asked, only half joking.

One thing he loved about her was how she needed him almost as much as he needed her, and she wasn't afraid to tell him. It was a huge turn-on for him, and made their lovemaking so passionate. He had come to realize that with anyone else, sex was just sex, but with her it was truly making love. "In Mexico, they have this great little tradition of long afternoon siestas," he grinned. Still lingering close to her, he pressed one last kiss to her lips. "Come on, it's about time for lunch," he said reluctantly.

Hand-in-hand, they made their way up to the ranch house. Delicious aromas greeted them at the front door, and as they entered the formal dining room, they saw the table was set for two. Racquel entered from the kitchen holding glasses filled with ice, and said,"Oh, senor, I was about to call you. Dinner is ready."

"Thank you, Racquel. Aren't you eating?" Tony asked.

"I will eat in the kitchen with Enrique and Juan," she said, looking surprised at the question.

"Oh, why don't you all eat in here?" Michelle suggested. "We can have a nice meal together; we haven't even met the brothers yet."

"We wouldn't want to disrupt your meal," the girl hesitated.

"Not at all!" Michelle insisted. "We would enjoy it."

"All right," Racquel smiled. "I will bring the extra dishes and call in the boys."

Moments later, she returned with three more plates, and was trailed by two men in work clothes. One looked to be in his early 20s, the other still a teen. "Hi, I'm Michelle and this is my husband Tony," Michelle greeted them. They both nodded to her and shook Tony's hand.

"I am Juan," the younger one said, "and this is my brother Enrique. He doesn't speak much English." The older brother smiled self-conciously.

"No problemo, yo hablo espanol tambien _(No problem, I speak Spanish too),"_ Tony said to him. "Si requires algo, puedes preguntar yo _(If you need anything, you can ask me)."_

"Gracias, senor," replied Enrique.

Racquel entered with a bowl of chicken, corn, and peppers mixed together, and a plate of monstrous tortillas. "The food is ready whenever you are," she said quietly.

"Thank you, Racquel," Michelle said. "Shall we eat?"

They all sat down to the table and began to pass the food. Along with the fajitas, there was an orange rice and pinto beans. "Wow, this is delicious," Tony commented, "especially the real tortillas. My mom used to make these when I was growing up...she thought the ones in American grocery stores should be outlawed.

"These are so much better," Michelle agreed. "Not to mention bigger!" Everyone laughed, watching her hold up a tortilla in awe, her face completely hidden behind it.

The meal was filled with conversation about their lives and backgrounds, both Tony and Michelle remembering the briefs they hed been given containing their own made-up stories. They discovered that the men were Racquel's cousins, and they had all grown up together in Las Nieves. Their parents worked on the ranch to the north, one of many owned by the same American family. None of the three said anything negative about it, but Michelle got the feeling this was a different experience for them - being treated like equals by the owners of the ranch they worked for. When they were finished with the delicious food, Michelle insisted on helping Racquel with the dishes, an idea that completely surprised the younger woman. After working side-by-side to clean up the kitchen, Michelle said, "That was an excellent meal. I'm looking forward to more food like that!"

"Thank you, senora," Racquel said shyly.

"Do you know where the men went?" Michelle asked her. "I was hoping they could show Tony and I some things about the ranch."

Just then, Tony entered the kitchen. "Hey, sweetheart," he said. "Wanna go with me to find Juan and Enrique?"

Both the women laughed. "That's exactly what I was just saying," said Michelle. "Let's go." He slid an arm around her as they left the kitchen. Racquel smiled as she watched them leave. _What an adorable couple, _she thought_. It's so obvious they're completely in love. _


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: The rating on this is T, but for some reason I decided to make this chapter pretty descriptive - maybe this chapter only should be considered M

**A/N: The rating on this is T, but for some reason I decided to make this chapter pretty descriptive - maybe this chapter only should be considered M. I didn't put much plot-wise in this one, though, so if you don't want to read it you can skip it. Also, I've read several stories where Michelle calls Jack "Blondie" and I think it's cute, so I used it here, but if that idea belongs to one specific writer I'm sorry and I'll take it out if you want; I'm not trying to steal it or take credit.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own 24, but it would sure be great - I'm currently watching season 4 and the Tony/Michelle fighting is killing me!**

That night, as Michelle and Tony got ready for bed, he thought back on their first day on the ranch. It had gone smoothly, and although he was still very aware of potential dangers, he began to let himself enjoy the unconventional vacation. They spent the afternoon touring the grounds with the brothers, pretending to pay attention to the details a good rancher would need to know, while actually just checking that all CTU's surveillance equipment was undisturbed. Now Tony was waiting for Jack's call to pass along the news that everything was in place. Both Tony and Michelle's phones were switched for new ones complete with made-up contact lists. The number Jack would call from was programed into Tony's under the name Carlos, which had been worked into his fake identity as his brother. The phones were completely secure, so they wouldn't have to worry about blowing their cover, but Jack was the only person they would communicate with directly all week. Tony jumped as his phone rang, then answered it, knowing it was Jack. "Yeah."

"Hey, Tony. Did you check up on the equipment?"

"Yeah, it's all fine - the stuff in the house, the gate, the shed, and the...barn..." He trailed off, realizing this meant he and Michelle's time in the barn that morning had doubtlessly been captured on camera. He could laugh about it if it was only Jack, but he knew the person most likely watching the feed was none other than Chloe O'Brian. Besides awkwardly bringing it up every day for eternity, she might mention the incident to the wrong people.

Jack chuckled on the other end of the phone. "Yeah...the barn. For CTU director, Almeida, you sure aren't too smart sometimes. Don't worry, I had a talk with Chloe. She said it's none of her business, and it's been incredibly obvious for a year or so anyway. You know her, she'll just give the two of you a strange look next time she sees you and that'll be the end of it."

"Thanks, Jack," Tony laughed, knowing exactly the look he was describing. "How's the progress on that end?"

"We're sending in a Recon team tonight to the Salazar ranch. They'll try to get ID numbers of the vehicles, hoping not all of them are stolen. If we have some names to go from, it shouldn't be hard to prove they're working with some shady associates."

"Nothing we should look out for tonight?" Tony asked, uneasy creeping into his voice.

"No, we don't think they suspect a thing. Two suspicious trucks have driven by today, doubtlessly checking out the new neighbors, but we're pretty sure you passed the inspection. Don't be surprised if they sent over a women tomorrow to "welcome" you - maybe named Claudia. That's Hector Salazar's girlfriend, she and her brother and father live on the ranch and I think she's in pretty deep, probably knows most of what the Salazars are up to. I know I don't have to tell you this, but she'll report back to them, so make sure there isn't anything that doesn't fit into your cover story." Jack tried to reassure his friend again, "Tony, everything is going fine. At this rate, all you and Michelle will have to do is keep up the act for a few days, and that doesn't seem to be too hard so far."

Just then, Michelle walked into the bathroom. She pointed to the phone and mouthed, "Jack?" Tony nodded, and she smiled and took the phone from him. "Hey, Blondie," she said, using the nickname he didn't even protest anymore. After listening a moment, she winced. "Oops...and Chloe knows?" A second later, she laughed and said, "I'm sure she will, but tell her thanks for not mentioning it to anybody else. Anyway, I'll let you talk to Tony again." Her mouth dropped open at something he said. "That's not true! But...hurry up." She passed the phone back to Tony. "Don't be too long," she said, looking back over her shoulder coyly as she walked into their bedroom.

Tony took the phone and said quickly, "Jack? Gotta go, sorry." His friend laughed on the other end.

"I told Michelle I knew she was just waiting till after I called to jump you...I guess I was right. Have fun, Tony." Mischief laced his voice.

Tony hung up and hurried out to the bedroom in only his boxers. Michelle was changing into a tank top and shorts, and he crossed the room as she pulled the top over her head. "Since when do you sleep in pajamas?" he said, circling his arms around her to draw her back into his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her hair, then pulled out the elastic holding it in a messy bun. She giggled and shook her hair out, the curls he loved surrounding her face. He ran his hands through them, twirling one around his finger before leaning in and kissing her gently. One of her hands came up to rest on the side of his face, feeling the day-old stubble. She loved the way their mouths fit together; the taste of him could always comfort her. Her tongue traced his bottom lip, memorizing every contour of the outside, then the inside. Slowly running it over his bottom teeth, she felt his tongue leap to meet hers and his hand tighten in her hair, angling her head up towards him. As their tongues twisted together gently, she felt the slight vibration as he whispered, "I love you _so_ much."

She blinked at the intensity of emotion in his voice. Lost for words, she just kissed him again, her arms behind his neck pulling him closer. Their whole bodies pressed together in a perfect embrace, the safest place Michelle had ever known. As he deepened the kiss and moaned slightly into her mouth, she felt the tug of desire in her body. She twirled her fingers in his hair and breathed, "Tony..." Needing no more words, he picked her up and carried her the few steps to their bed. He layed her back gently, then lowered himself on top of her, propped up by his elbows. His lips traced her collarbone, nibbling at her neck - there would be a mark there, but neither of them cared. She tipped her head back and sighed in ecstasy, spurring him on to lick down towards the scoop-cut neckline of her tank top. His tongue darted beneath the fabric, between her breasts, trailing over the left one. Finally succeeding in slipping the shirt over her head, he confirmed the suspicion that she wasn't wearing a bra. His mouth circled her breast slowly, working its way in until he got to the nipple. As he took it between his teeth and rolled it back and forth, she gasped and arched her back to him. Pleased with the reaction he was getting, Tony repeated his work on her right breast, then slid up to kiss her again.

"God, Chelle, I need to make you feel good." His words ran through her like lava, filling her from head to toe with a burning desire. She ground her hips against his, feeling his length against her. One of her hands slipped between them to grasp it through his boxers, rubbing it and feeling him tense. Her hand slipped under his waistband, dragging her fingers across the skin there. He took in a breath and pushed down against her as she took him in her hand, squeezing lightly and sliding her hand back and forth. She rolled him over and kissed her way down his chest, licking the sensitive skin just under his boxers before pushing them off altogether and taking him in her mouth. Somehow, she knew just how to use her lips, tongue and hands to send waves of pleasure through him. "You're so incredible," he groaned, lacing a hand through her hair. She continued until she felt him jerk, and right as he reached the critical point, she looked up and met his gaze. Seeing her with him in her mouth and intense love and lust in her eyes was enough to send him over the edge, and he could have sworn he saw stars.

Tony fell back on the bed, panting. "Someday you're gonna kill me," he groaned, pulling her up to kiss her again. He tasted himself in her mouth, and wanted to do for her what she did for him. Rolling them over so she lay flat against the bed, he worked one hand down her quivering stomach, tracing the line of her panties. She squirmed slightly, desperate for him to continue. His fingers slipped under the fabric, and he heard her gasp as one circled her sensitive spot. He rubbed it slowly with his thumb, and she bit down lightly on his lip in pure pleasure. Slipping one finger inside her, he continued until he sensed her getting close, then abruptly stopped. "Tony!" she gasped, frantic for him to finish what he started. She soon understood, however, when his mouth joined his fingers between her legs. This only made it better, and it wasn't long until he felt her clench around his tongue inside her. She took in a breath and tried to keep from crying out as she came, her head dropping back and face flushed. "God, Tony," she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I want you now."

He ran his hands over her body, wanting to touch her everywhere at once. Climbing onto the bed and onto her, he let his body take over as he lifted her hips slightly so he could slide into her. "Ohh...you're so tight, so wet..." he whispered in her ear as he set a rhythm for them, moving out and back in with increasing speed.

"Faster, Tony," she said breathlessly, and he was glad to comply. He kept up the almost violent rhythm until he felt her nails digging into his back, the slight pain only heightening the amazing sensations. She tensed as she reached her climax, causing him to explode inside her at the same time. They were both breathing hard as the waves of pleasure subsided and he collapsed on the bed, drawing her into his arms. "You're so amazing," he whispered, his mind on the ring stashed in their closet. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he never wanted to be with anyone but her, and the CTU bureaucrats were just going to have to deal with it. If they tried to transfer one of them, Tony made up his mind to just quit - despite the love/hate relationship he had with his job, it was trivial compared to Michelle. He made a decision that as soon as this mission was over, he would go straight to Chappelle and explain that he was in love with her and asking her to marry him soon. A smile crossed his face at the thought, and he hugged her closer, realizing her steady breathing meant she was already half-asleep. Totally content with her in his arms, it wasn't long before he joined her.

The next morning, Michelle woke to the sun seeping through their blinds. _It must be at least nine!_She thought in a panic. _We're going to be late for work!_ Then, as her mind caught up with itself, she remembered where they were. Relaxing into Tony's arms again, she cuddled against him and decided they had no real reason to get up. She drifted off and slept another hour or two, then was woken by her stomach growling. She opened her eyes and let them adjust to the light before leaning up and kissing Tony awake. "Hey, baby," she whispered. "Time to get up."

Without opening his eyes, he pulled her closer and buried his face in her curls. "Nobody will miss us if we stay here all day," he complained.

She was already wide awake. "Remember, we told Juan and Enrique we would milk the cows for them today!"

The excitement in her voice made him smile. "Right...I guess we'll have to drag ourselves out of bed then." Finally glancing at the clock, he sat up quickly. "It's already 10:00!" he said, shocked.

"That's right, sleepyhead," she laughed. "It's not my fault you kept us both up half the night."

A mischievous look crossed his face as he remembered their activities. "Don't pretend you didn't like it..."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare," she grinned. "Shower time?"

"I hope you mean for both of us," growled Tony as he lifted her off the bed and headed toward the bathroom.

**Please review! Feedback really makes my day and gives me motivation to keep writing - I'm hitting a little bit of a writer's block!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm _so_ sorry about the delay! School started and I was kind of busy and had a little writer's block...but I'm almost done with the next chapter too, so that will be coming soon! Right now I think this will only be 11 or 12 chapters long because I'll reach a logical stopping point by then...we'll see though. Anyway if you're still reading thank you! And please review!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own 24 or the characters. I wish I did - I'm watching season 6 right now and it's not even close to the same without everyone's favorite couple, so if I had any say in it they'd still be around.**

Almost an hour later, Tony and Michelle finally dressed and headed downstairs. They were greeted immediately by Racquel, who said, "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Remmel. You have a visitor, he is waiting in the living room."

"A visitor?" Tony enquired, surprised.

"Yes, he says his name is Jack Warner and he is a friend from Texas." Tony and Michelle's story was that they had both grown up in the town of Waco, Texas, so this would make sense. They both smiled at their friend's choice of alias as they walked into the living room to greet him.

"Jack!" Tony said, playing along with his story. "It's great to see you! How have you been?"

"I've been fine," he answered, a twinkle in his eye. "How are the newlyweds?"

"We're doing great," Michelle said with a smile. "Want to take a walk outside so we can catch up?"

Jack agreed, and the three headed out to where they could talk freely. Once they were a distance from the house and barn, Jack said, "Last night, Chloe found that our phone line wasn't as secure as we thought. They couldn't have tapped it already, so the mission isn't compromised, but we won't be able to use your cells anymore. That's the bad news, though. The good news is our TAC team was able to identify two men on the Salazar ranch last night. These men have known connections to a small Cuban terrorist cell we've had our eye on for a while."

"So..." Tony said, not sure what this meant for them.

"This is good," Jack assured him. "It means we'll only have to keep this up for a couple more days, while people back at CTU look for a way to prove the Salazars will be a national security threat. Our TAC team might have to make one more run to gather some more information, and then we'll have you two out of here."

"And so ends our paid vacation," Michelle sighed jokingly.

"I know you two are having fun," Jack smirked.

Michelle blushed as she remembered the incident in the barn. "Oh shut up, Jack Warner," she teased.

"Hey, I had to think of something quick," he defended himself. "I didn't count on you two still being in bed at noon - never pictured either of you as the sleeping-in types!"

"Oh, we were in bed, but who said we were sleeping?" Tony said smugly. Michelle turned red again and swatted his arm, and Jack laughed when Tony stage-whispered in her ear, "He's just jealous."

Trying to change the subject, she said, "Remember about milking the cows? We better get some breakfast - make that lunch - and get started."

"In the barn?" Jack asked with a wink, enjoying his chance to torture Michelle, all in good fun of course.

She rolled her eyes and pretended to be mad, storming off towards the house. "You're both hopeless," she called over her shoulder.

Tony watched her go, slightly dazed by her laugh and her smile. He was starting to scare himself with all this mushy, lovey-dovey stuff, but he just couldn't help it. With her, it felt so right. Nothing he could do or say would be enough to show her how much she meant to him, how much he needed her..."Tony!" He was pulled out of his thoughts by Jack's fingers snapping in front of his face. "Come on, man," he said, smirking. "When are you gonna ask her?"

"Soon, Jack...It's not that simple." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "At CTU...if one of us gets transferred, it'll be her, because I'm the director. What if she gets moved to another city when they find out about us?"

"Then you two will figure it out. Tell Chappelle the deal, and if he gives you shit about it, threaten to quit. He won't let you," Jack said firmly.

"I'll do it as soon as the mission is over," he promised.

"Tony! Brunch!" Michelle called from the porch. "Jack, are you staying?"

"No, I better head out," he said, back in character. Quietly, to Tony, he said, "I'll try to keep you posted on what's going on. I might not be able to talk to you for a couple days."

Tony said goodbye and headed into the ranch house, barely able to contain his smile as his thoughts remained on his and Jack's conversation. The meal was delicious, and afterwards, he and Michelle went to find the brothers, who were in the equipment shed.

"Hi, sorry we're so late!" Michelle greeted them. "Can we still milk the cows?"

All three of the men smiled at her obvious excitement. "Don't worry, senora, we saved the job for you," Juan assured her. "Here are the buckets...come with me to the barn and I'll give you a few pointers."

Ten minutes later, Tony and Michelles were left alone with the cows. Juan made the job look easy, so neither of them were concerned. They set up their stools side-by-side and each turned to an animal nearby. After a few tentative tugs and squeezes, Michelle got the hang of it and was laughing at Tony's growls of frustration as he struggled. He eventually started to catch on, though, and was concentrating so hard he didn't really notice when she looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye. Before he knew it, he was assaulted by a white stream to the side of the face, and she sprang up giggling. Wiping the milk off, he had to smile as he attempted to squirt back at her. Failing miserably, he abandoned the cows altogether and chased her through the barn, catching up to her as she tried to climb a ladder to the loft.

"You know, you'll just be cornered up there," he pointed out as he pulled her off the ladder. They tumbled into a haystack laughing, and her squeals quickly grew louder as he began to tickle her.

"Tony!" she protested, but it was futile. After a few minutes of torture, she gave in and cried, "Mercy! Have a little mercy!"

"Never," he growled, but stopped long enough to kiss her.

"Remember..." she gasped, "the cameras..."

"They can't see us over here," he muttered, but put a respectable distance between them. Casting a disdainful look at the camera, he pulled her behind a half-wall separating unused stalls so he could at least lay with her in his arms. Twirling one of her curls around his finger, he asked, "Chelle, what's the first of your birthdays that you remember?" She turned and looked up at him, confused at the random trivial question. "Just answer the question," he said. "I want to know everything about you, baby, and we have to start somewhere." Add to that, he just liked listening to her talk.

She laughed and complied. "Well, I remember snippets of my fourth, but the first one I remember clearly is when I turned 6. I had a real party with friends and everything – my mom invited my whole first grade class." She smiled dreamily, and Tony knew she was thinking of her mother. Somehow she managed to remember the happy times, and while accepting the car crash that had taken her mother from her in her teen years, she didn't dwell on it. "She didn't want anybody to be left out. I picked out a dress that makes me laugh now…it was pink and white striped and had a green half-circle collar thing with black polka dots– watermelon print! My mom and grandma oo'ed and ahh'ed over it, though, and picked out black Mary Jane shoes and a headband to go with it. First grade was my soccer phase, so that was the party's theme. I had a soccer-ball cake, mini-balls as party favors, my dad even wore a referee's shirt and whistle!"

"The reason I remember it so clearly was what happened with my best friend Lexi." Tony wondered if this was going to be a good memory, but the amusement in her eyes told him it was. "She and a boy in our class named Carter had been "dating" for two weeks – practically married, by our first-grade standards. I was happy for her, but insanely jealous; I was absolutely dying to have a "boyfriend." Anyway, at my party, we went to a park to play – what else? – soccer. Partway through the game, I noticed Lexi was nowhere to be found. Some of the kids less interested in the soccer game were over on the playground, but since she loved soccer like me, I thought it was strange. Seeing a gathering around one of the slides, I ran over and asked what was happening. One little girl whispered to me that Lexi and Carter were in that slide, and they were going to kiss! Of course, in my first-grade mind, I thought my best friend was pretty much sleeping with a guy she had been with for two weeks, so I got upset and ran to tell my grandma what was going on." Tony laughed. He had heard other stories about Michelle's grandmother, and he could see where this was going. Michelle continued, "She marched right over and stuck her head in the slide, catching them in the act! Lexi was just mortified, and Grammy told her they would discuss this after the party was over. The rest of it went pretty smoothly, but sure enough, as soon as the other guests were out the door, Grammy sat down with Lexi and I for a little "chat" we wouldn't soon forget. She told us we were both far too young to be kissing boys, or even thinking about them. By the time she was done, I wasn't jealous of Lexi anymore!"

Tony laughed picturing the scene. "Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful woman," he commented. He knew she was in a nursing home in Santa Barbara, so he asked, "When do I get to meet her?"

"If you want to visit her with me, we can go when we get home." She looked pleased at the idea. "I haven't gotten up to see her in a while. She needs the help of the assisted living home physically, but mentally, she's as sharp as ever."

"Good," Tony said. "I think I'll enjoy meeting her."

"While we're on the subject of our childhoods…tell me what it was like growing up with such a big family," Michelle requested. Along with Tony's 2 brothers and 3 sisters, his home had consisted of uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and numerous pets.

"Hell," Tony groaned, but Michelle knew he was kidding. "No, it had its pros and cons. There was always something going on and people around. As a kid, I liked that most of the time, but of course teenagers tend to like their space – not something I got a lot of, sharing a room with Rick and Kyle. Rick went through that stage when I was younger, and I quickly learned that it was sometimes better to just stay out of his way. By the time he moved out, though, I was the moody one, and he seemed to understand that better than anybody. Since Kyle was so much younger than me, he got the brunt of it. I still feel pretty bad about that. He and Livy were left out sometimes, which is why they still enjoy teaming up on the four of us today." Michelle smiled as she remembered the Almeida family Thanksgiving she was a part of the previous year – she quickly learned to watch her back; practical jokes between the siblings flew hard and fast in the few days they had together. The twins, whom Tony was referring to, certainly seemed to be allied.

"How did your parents ever manage to keep the brood under control?" she asked.

"That is still a mystery," Tony answered. "Control was kind of an illusion in the Almeida household. I remember once, when I was about seven and Ari was sixteen, my parents caught her sneaking around with a college boy. My mom started crying, and I knew Ari was in for it. Rule number one with my dad – _never_ make Mom cry. During this particular episode, the rule applied double because she was incredibly pregnant with Nat. Anyway, Dad sent Ari to her room to wait. I was watching all this quietly, and always the peace-lover, I didn't want a big confrontation. So I went to the only person capable of calming Dad – my grandmother. I told her Ari was in her room crying, and my dad was going to yell at her as soon as he made sure Mom was totally OK. Of course Abuela couldn't resist comforting her, and by the time my dad made it upstairs, the two of them had completely joined forces. Abuela managed to convince Dad that Ari was behaving like every teen does at least once, and the only way to remedy the problem was to be firm but not harsh with her, and show her that her parents still loved her – by not grounding her till she was 35. Now, my dad might have been overreacting a little at first, but Ari sure got off light when Abuela was done with him. She still owes me one for that," he said, smiling.

Michelle looked almost wistful. "It sounds like fun," she said. "Having a family like that."

"Not all the time, but I have to admit it's nice to know I can always fall back on them. You know you have that too, right?" He looked her in the eyes. "My family considers you part of the clan. They'll be there for you anytime you need them or just want to be a part of what's going on. They love you, Chelle."

"That means so much, Tony. You know my family isn't exactly a support system for me, and being included in yours is more than I'd ever hoped for. They're amazing people."

"I know, baby, and we're both so lucky to have them." Seeing the conversation was starting to take her thoughts back to Danny's issues, he said, "Let's go finish with those cows before somebody has to come looking for us."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Again, sorry this is taking so long...please review if you're still reading!!  
Disclaimer: Still don't own 24 ( **

Tony and Michelle's next two days passed much the same as the first: eating meals with Racquel and the brothers, helping out with whatever ranch chores they could, walking the grounds together, and just enjoying the shared time. Both were almost disappointed the afternoon Jack payed them an undercover visit to say it would probably be their last night there.

"We've gotten about all the intel I think we're going to," he explained. "The team is going in one last time tonight to retrieve a couple surveillance devices they left; we wouldn't want the Salazars knowing something was going on. Then tomorrow we'll be able to completely pull out."

"And so ends our vacation," Michelle sighed, half joking.

"Sorry, I know you two were having fun," Jack laughed. "Oh, there's something else you should know. Chappelle's on his way here from the airport."

Tony groaned, reluctant to see his Chappelle-free days coming to an end so soon. "Why would he need to come here?"

"Who knows?" Jack rolled his eyes. "He says he wants to get a feel for things down here because we're anticipating sending another undercover agent in about a year. The good news for you, though, is that you probably won't even see him. You'll need to fly home separately from the rest of us, so you'll get to enjoy yourselves for another few hours while I'm stuck on a plane with Ryan, Chloe, and a bunch of tactical guys."

"Sorry, Jack," said Michelle. "Looks like we won't get to have a Scrabble rematch."

He grimaced at the thought, which made both Michelle and Tony laugh. "Anyway, tonight you two should inform your staff that you'll be leaving for an extended period of time - say Michelle's sister is having twins or something and you want to go be with your family. Then, after a couple weeks, you'll call and tell them you've decided to stay in the States long-term. We'll send a moving company to get 'your' stuff."

"Racquel and the brothers will get their pay on time and everything, right?" Michelle asked. "They've been so kind and helpful to us the whole time."

"I'll make sure it's taken care of," Jack reassured her. "All you two need to do is be on your 11:00 flight tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 9:50, so we might still be at LAX when you get there. Otherwise, I'll just see you Monday at CTU."

"All right, thanks Jack, and bye," said Tony.

As he and Michelle headed back to the ranch house, she said, "So what do you want to do on our last night here?"

"Do you really have to ask?" He grinned.

Michelle giggled. "I mean _before_ that."

"I guess if we have some time to kill before bed, we could go into Las Nieves, get some dinner, walk around and see what there is to see."

"Oh, that sounds good!" she agreed. "This is such an interesting place, and we've barely gotten to explore. I'll go get ready." Excited, she took off up the stairs.

An hour later, Michelle and Tony were in their rented car, sunroof down, headed towards Las Nieves. "It's so pretty down here," Michelle commented.

"Yeah...in a deserty kind of way," he said. "It sure is hot, though."

"Better than cold!" she exclaimed. Tony laughed, knowing she hated cold weather. He engaged in a quick mental debate as to which was better: cold, which gave him an excuse to constantly hold and cuddle with her; or hot, which caused her to wear the little shorts and tank tops he loved to look at her in.

"Yeah, hot is better," he decided. "Plus, with our jobs, we don't get to enjoy the sun enough. It seems like every time there's a nice day in LA, we're stuck spending it inside."

"Definitely," Michelle agreed. "I love working at CTU most of the time - well, no, most of the time it's overwhelming and stressful, and for some reason I'm OK with that - but there are days when I wish I had a normal job.

"What kind of normal job would you have, if you could pick anything?" Tony asked. His mind went back to their conversation about having kids: she said she would only want to if she left CTU. The long days and constant danger of the agency sounded less and less attractive to him compared to thoughts of starting a family with Michelle, and he was curious whether she had ever considered it.

"Something that's still about protecting people," she said, and he could tell she had thought about it. "Maybe a security company...I've always wanted to start something of my own."

"You'd be good at that," Tony commented. "What's stopping you?"

"I'm not ready to leave CTU," she admitted. "Eventually, I can see myself moving on, but for now...it's like it has some strange pull that I can't resist. Through all the deaths, kidnappings, bombings, and threats, I just feel like it's...where I'm supposed to be." She looked frustrated; she was having trouble expressing herself.

"Believe me, I know what you mean," he assured her. "Sometimes I wonder if it's worth everything, but then I think of all the innocent people who's lives have been saved so many times."

"Exactly," agreed Michelle. Somehow he always understood her. "And at least one good thing has come out of CTU for us."

"What's that?"

"It's where I met you."

"Two, please," Tony told the waiter.

"Si, senor," the man said. "Right this way."

Tony and Michelle had parked when they reached the touristy area of Las Nieves and decided to walk along the line of shops to find a place to eat. They settled on a festive place called Sol Azul, and were pleased to find it wasn't too crowded. The restaurant was painted bright shades of orange, green, and red, with hanging plants and quirky knick-knacks adorning the walls. Traditional Mexican music played in the background, setting the atmosphere, and the air was alive with aromas that made Tony's stomach growl. He ordered a bottle of wine for them when they reached their table, and hoped they wouldn't have to wait long for their food.

"I think we made a good choice," Michelle said, admiring the decor. "This is an interesting place."

"And the food smells delicious," he agreed. They both studied their menus. "What looks good to you?"

"I was thinking the chicken enchilada."

"Oh, that sounds good." Just then, a waiter passed their table with a tray of oversized plates. Each plate held a mountain of food.

"Wow," said Michelle, "Maybe we should split one!"

Tony agreed. "Anyway, we have to save room for dessert. Can't eat at an authentic Mexican restaurant without having the sopapillas."

A waiter hurried up to their table. "Welcome, my name is Rico and I'll be your server tonight. Are you ready to order?"

"Yes, we'll split the chicken enchiladas, please," Tony said.

"Very good, it will be here shortly." The man hurried away.

Tony and Michelle talked and laughed as they waited for their food, then as they ate, enjoying the time together. It had been a while since they were able to go out for a nice, relaxed dinner without having to worry about bombings or biothreats.

"We should do this more often," Michelle commented. "I love spending time with you like this, Tony."

"How about next weekend that we both get off - which would normally be never, but after an undercover assignment we should get next weekend - we take a trip?"

"Where to?" she asked, loving the idea already.

"Doesn't matter to me," admitted Tony. "I just want to take you away from the world for a couple days. We could drive up to Oakland, stop in and see your dad, spend a day at the beach?"

"That sounds amazing. And on the way could we stop in San Jose? I always love to visit your family."

"Sure, they would love that," Tony agreed. _And if all goes well_, he thought, _it will be our first visit as an engaged couple_. He still didn't know exactly how he wanted to ask her - it had to be _perfect,_but it also had to be soon. The sooner he asked, the sooner they could be married...the thought still blew his mind.

The pair finished their dessert, and Tony paid their bill as they left. "Want to walk around a while?" he asked.

"Sure...We have all the time in the world." Michelle smiled contentedly. They strolled along the sidewalk, hand in hand. "Oh, look at this!" Michelle squealed when they came to a small knick-knack shop. "Let's go in, I want to get something for my apartment - a souvenir; even if this is actually a mission, it feels like a vacation."

Tony laughed and agreed, mentally adjusting 'my apartment' to 'our house'. _Whoa there, Almeida, slow down a little,_he cautioned himself. _She hasn't even said yes yet._That was a formality and he knew it - she would be thrilled. _Hopefully..._Tony was going to drive himself crazy with this. He actually shook his head to clear his thoughts as they ducked into the shop.

They browsed the shop, never more than a step apart, until Michelle found a small decorative watering can. "Oh, this would look perfect on my hall table!" she exclaimed. Tony, having no real opinion about decorative issues, agreed and made a mental note to get her some flowers to go in it when they got home. She quickly purchased the item and they left the store.

"You know," Tony mused, "Jack think Chappelle won't mind much when we tell him about us."

She looked at him incredulously. "Won't _mind_ much? He'll have a hissy fit!"

"Well, yeah, but he'll get over it. It's not like he has a choice."

"Except to transfer one of us." Tony could see the unspoken words in her eyes: If he did, it would be her.

"Chelle, I would never let that happen. I'd quit in a heartbeat before I let anyone separate us. Chappelle will argue and complain for a day, maybe make a few threats, but he'll never actually go through with anything."

"Of course not, because if he did, he'd lose _two_of his best people. If you quit, I'm quitting too - you're the only thing that gets me through at day at CTU. I can't imagine working with anyone but you."

"I love you so much, baby." Tony kissed her head as they reached the car and parted to get in.

"This was really fun tonight, Tony," Michelle said. "I feel like we're normal people on a real vacation for once."

"_Vacation..._remind me what that word means," he joked. "If you could spend a week anywhere, where would it be?"

"I love beaches, but we can get that an hour from home. Sightseeing is fun for a while, but it's usually nothing spectacular..." She paused to think. "It's not the place, it's the people - or person." Taking Tony's hand, she smiled flirtatiously. "Anywhere with you, baby."

_That should be one condition for our honeymoon that's easy to meet,_ he thought. _Still doesn't give me an idea as to the perfect destination, though._ That was certainly the way he felt about vacations - anywhere was fine as long as he was with Michelle - so at least they were in agreement. "Ever been to Paris?"

"No...my aunt was going to take me for my 16th birthday - you know, girl time and all that - but it didn't work out." Tony knew Michelle and her father's sister had been close, and still were, but Sandra lived in Baltimore now so they rarely got together. "Paris would be amazing...think of all the shopping."

He laughed at the sparkle in her eyes and faked a groan. "Sounds like a dream to me," he joked. "Really, though, Paris is an amazing city."

"You've been there?" asked Michelle, surprised. "I didn't know that."

"The summer after I graduated high school, my two best friends and I decided we needed to 'see the world'. We were all going into the Marines and didn't need college money right away, so we used some to visit France, Germany, and Norway."

"Norway? Not exactly a typical tourist destination."

"Well..." Tony looked slightly embarrassed and began to explain. "Our high school had an exchange program with a school in Norway. Our senior year, there were six Norwegian girls in our class."

She was catching on. "And let me guess...you and your friends were quite attracted to them."

"Pretty much sums it up," he admitted. "So we figured Norway would be a great place to visit."

"And were you right?"

"Yeah," laughed Tony. "Unfortunately, none of the women there would give a fresh-out-of-high-school American kid the time of day. We got our egos knocked down a few notches that week."

"I can imgaine." Michelle was amused, picturing a younger Tony and his comrades heading off to Norway with high hopes.

As they pulled up to the ranch house, he said, "I'm going to miss this place. It's only been a few days, but I'm starting to like it."

She agreed. "It's so far from CTU - or at least it seems like it. We probably shouldn't have let our guards down quite as much as we have, but this just feels so...normal. We aren't always slipping into the roles of Agents Almeida and Dessler, we can just be Tony and Michelle. And now it has to end."

Tony hated to see disappointment slipping into her eyes. "We still have one more night...and thank God it's almost bedtime," he said, tipping her chin up so she saw his mischievous smile.

Her face brightened. "What are we waiting for?" She bounced out of the car and tugged his hand as she led him into the house.

**A/N: I have the next chapter done so I'll put it up in a couple days or when I get some reviews!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: This is the last chapter! Just read it and tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

Tony's eyes locked on Michelle's as he pushed their bedroom door partway closed behind them. He drew her into his body and felt his jaw line tingle as her fingers traced it. "Chelle..." He took her face in both hands and gently lowered his mouth to hers, savoring the warmth of her lips. All his senses drank her in: her gorgeous eyes, smooth skin, intoxicating scent and sweet taste. As his tongue brushed hers softly, then lingered, his hands tangled in her vivacious curls, angling her head closer. He dragged his lips down her chin, leaving a light trail to her collarbone. His light nibbles sent a chill through her, and she moaned. The sound sent a shock through him. Tony swept her into his arms and layed her on the bed, only to be immediately pulled down on top of her.

"God Tony...I need you." He couldn't imagine anything sexier than that breathy, ragged voice - then he felt her fingers working their way under his shirt. They tugged it upward frantically, and he paused for a moment to rip it off. Then he was back on top of her, sucking her bottom lip and running his hands up and down her sides.

"You have no idea about the things you do to me, Michelle." His words were heavy with passion. She moaned loudly and kissed down his chest - just as they heard a knock. Before they could even react, the door swung open, revealing the last person they wanted to see.

Ryan Chappelle.

Tony quickly rolled off Michelle, scrambling to pull the sheet over them, but it was too late. Jack, only a step behind Chappelle, bumped into the man when he stopped suddenly in the door. Both Tony and Jack swore under their breath, and everyone in the room froze for a moment.

Chappelle was speechless...but that didn't last long. "Wh-...wha--...What are you _thinking_, Almeida?!" His face was practically purple with rage.

"Listen to me, Ryan-" Tony began, but it was useless.

"I don't think I need to! It's pretty obviously what's going on here! Almeida, I need to talk to you outside, now." Tony squeezed Michelle's hand under the covers before pulling his shirt on and rolling out of bed in one motion. He reluctantly joined Chappelle in the hall, leaving Jack and Michelle in the room. "You are the ranking agent here! You should have known better than to pull something like this, especially after Nina Myers! And-"

"You have no right to compare Michelle to Nina!" Tony exploded. "And you can't tell me how to live my life, it's none of your business!"

"It BECOMES my business when two of my agents can't live in the same house for a few days without screwing each other!"

Suddenly Tony understood. Chappelle thought they had just been fooling around this week and didn't have a relationship before that. "It's not like that, Ryan."

"Really, Tony? Then how is it?"

Tony sighed and reached into the pocket of his jacket hanging on the doorknob. "It's like this." He held up the jewelry box and flipped it open, revealing the ring that had been occupying his thoughts the past weeks.

"Are you saying that you and Michelle are..."

"Yeah, I am saying that. I love her, and I'm asking her to marry me soon. Really soon. And I don't care what you think about it."

For the second time in as many minutes, Ryan Chappelle was speechless. Tony could tell he was trying to decide whether to be more or less angry now that he knew the truth about their relationship. Finally, a resigned look crossed his face. The words he spoke didn't match his expression: "I'm going to transfer her to Omaha. There's no way I can have my director married to his chief of staff." He obviously knew what Tony was going to say - when Tony Almeida made a decision, nothing could change his mind.

"Then I'll solve that problem by quitting. And you should know that if I quit, Michelle will too."

Chappelle sighed, expecting that reaction. He didn't want to lose both of them - they were two of the most talented and experienced agents at CTU. Tony was pleasantly surprised by his next words. "I don't like it, Almeida. You know that. And if I see _any_ indication _whatsoever_ that this is interfering with your work, I'll have no choice but to transfer one of you. But for now, we can give it a test run. I'll be watching closely, and so will others, so don't screw up."

Tony let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thank you, Ryan. We won't. And if it makes you feel any better..." He trailed off. Maybe the fact that no one had noticed their relationship for two years would reassure Chappelle they could keep it out of the office, but then again, it might just make him angry at how long they'd been keeping this secret. He left the sentence unfinished; luckily Chappelle was already moving on in the conversation.

"Anyway, the real reason I came up here was to congratulate you both on a successful mission. We found enough information to justify sending an agent in closer to the Salazars - it will be dangerous, but they're running a major operation here and it's the only way we can think of. All that doesn't really affect you, though, so when we get home tomorrow, you'll just need to come in to CTU for a couple hours to debrief. Then you can have the rest of the day and a long weekend off."

'A couple hours' doubtlessly meant all day, but tomorrow was Wednesday, so that still left four days free - more than Tony had hoped for. "Michelle too?" he asked.

Chappelle paused, obviously thinking about arguing, but then said, "Yes, Michelle too."

"Thanks, Ryan. Can I talk to Jack a minute before you two go?"

"I'll wait downstairs." he agreed.

Tony walked back into the bedroom, and Jack and Michelle went silent, looking at him expectantly. He could see the tension in Michelle's eyes, worried that Chappelle was going to make life difficult for them. Tony spoke, alleviating her concerns. "He's OK with us!"

"What? It didn't sound like it from the way he was yelling!"

"Well, he was pretty pissed at first, but I talked him down. He'll be fine." Tony re-enacted most of the conversation for them, fudging slightly on the part involving the ring and talk of marriage.

"That could have been worse!" Michelle agreed. "I wasn't really expecting him to coming marching in here tonight."

"Obviously," Jack snickered.

"By the way, Jack, thanks for the warning," Tony said sarcastically.

"Sorry, I didn't really have any way of getting in touch with you other than the cell phones. I tried to think of a reason for Ryan to let me come up first, but he wasn't buying it and I didn't want him to get suspicious. You know my usual strategy would involve threatening, drugging, or tying him up, but I didn't think any of those would be quite appropriate for the situation."

"Well, it worked out all right," Michelle assured him, always the peacemaker between the two men. "Anyway, it saved us the nerve wracking experience of straight-up telling him!"

"True," Tony admitted. "That would have been a horrible meeting."

Jack laughed. "Anyway, I'll leave you two for now. Sorry again about the Chappelle thing."

"It's OK, Jack. We'll see you tomorrow at CTU," said Michelle.

As Jack left, Tony joined her on the bed. "That wasn't so bad," he commented.

"Probably not the best way for him to find out, though - walking in on us in the middle of a mission!"

Tony agreed. "There is good news, though..." he breathed into her ear.

"And what would that be?" She could tell the nature of the news by his tone.

"I don't think we'll have any interruptions for the rest of the night. Remind me where we were..." Her mouth moved over his, and he was lost again.

Tony woke the next morning to sun seeping through the blinds. The first thing he felt, before even opening his eyes, was Michelle's body in his arms. _Now THIS is paradise,_he thought.It was getting to the point where he couldn't imagine falling asleep without her steady breathing or waking up without her comforting warmth. Reluctantly squinting at the clock, he realized their alarm wouldn't go off for another half hour. His thoughts turned to the implications of the night before. The one thing that was keeping him from proposing was the potential problems it would cause at work...but now that Chappelle knew, there was nothing holding him back. The thought made him nearly dizzy.

He and Michelle could actually get married...buy a house together, go grocery shopping together, pick out furniture together, even have kids together. They would wake up every morning in _their_ bed, and come home every night to _their_ house. They would spend holidays together, visit each of their parents together...it was everything Tony ever wanted, and he didn't know how much longer he could wait. He knew she didn't need the proposal to be showy or extravagant, but he wanted it to be perfect. Slowly, a plan began to form in his mind. He mulled it over, and before he knew it, the alarm was beeping. _Damn..._Trying not to disturb Michelle, he reached over and shut it off. He let himself hold her for a little bit longer, then brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Wake up, baby..."

She shifted against him and tucked her head into his chest. "Huh uh..." she mumbled. He felt her warm breath against his skin and it made it harder to move. Slowly, she began to wake and pulled back to look up at him. "Is it really time to get up already?"

"Yeah...we have to get ready to leave for the airport."

"Oh!" Michelle bolted upright. "How much time do we have?"

"Enough," Tony chuckled quietly, pulling her back down. "I don't want to let you up just yet..." He ran his fingers over her bare skin.

"As much as I would love to stay in bed with you all morning," she kissed him square on the lips, "we really do have to get to the airport." He groaned as she climbed out of bed, his eyes roaming over her naked body. "Do you want to shower first, or should I?"

"Come on," he said, getting up and pulling her towards the bathroom. "We have time." Michelle was easy to convince.

After a long shower together, they got dressed and packed last-minute toiletries. Michelle checked the bedroom again to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, and they carried their bags down to the front door. Racquel greeted them. "Hola, buenos dias. Breakfast is nearly ready."

They ate one last meal with their new friends, and said goodbye. Before they knew it, Tony and Michelle were in their rental car pulling away from the ranch house. "You OK?" Tony asked, noticing that she was unusually quiet.

"Yeah, just thinking," she said. He waited for her to say more, knowing she would probably explain if he gave her a chance. "I'm going to miss this place, but more than that, I don't want to go home. I'm sort of looking forward to getting back to work, but I don't know how Danny's doing."

Tony wished there was something he could do to make it better, but he knew the best thing was to just listen and be sympathetic. "Maybe he and Rachel will be talking again when we get back."

"Maybe...but maybe he brought Carrie to the birthday party and made things even worse."

"That's possible," Tony admitted, "but listen to me, Chelle." He waited till she turned toward him. "What Danny does isn't your responsibility. He's lucky to have such an amazing sister to look out for him, but he's a grown man. I know you love him, and I really admire your loyalty, but I hate seeing you hurt over and over."

"Tony, I don't know what I'd do without you. You have no idea how much strength I get just from your presence and your touch. I can deal with anything as long as I know that at the end of the day, I can go home and you'll be there."

"And you know I always will be, sweetheart." His mind flashed to the plans he had come up with that morning - plans to make it much more permanent.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the airport. Tony found the rental return parking lot, and they left the car there and took their luggage from the trunk. "Let me get that," Tony said as he watched Michelle struggle with her bag.

"No, thanks, honey. My one rule about packing is to never bring more than I can carry myself."

Tony laughed as they made their way into the terminal. After checking their bags, the pair passed through security and found their gate. "How long do we have before our flight?" Michelle asked.

Just then, an announcement came over the PA system. "Now boarding United flight 108 to Los Angeles."

"Wow, looks like we cut it pretty close," Tony commented as they boarded the plane. He felt a sudden fluttering of butterflies in his stomach. If he was going to enact his plan, it would be soon. There was no way or reason he would back out now.

They settled in their seats, but after twenty minutes, the plane still hadn't moved. Tony was starting to get restless - delays like this always made him nervous. _What's taking so long? _The intercom clicked on, and a deep voice said, "Good morning, this is your pilot. We're experiencing some runway traffic, and our takeoff has been pushed back about twenty minutes. We are the next plane up, so we should be moving shortly."

Tony was relieved, but not quite convinced. Michelle, on the other hand, curled up on his shoulder. "I'm going to get some rest. Wake me up when we take off," she requested.

Minutes later, Tony's mission cell phone rang. Seeing it was Jack, he answered it without waking Michelle. "Almeida."

"Tony, it's Jack."

"Yeah, no kidding. Is everything OK? We've been sitting on the runway for half an hour."

"That's not related to you specifically; we've determined that none of Salazar's people followed you to the airport. You're in the clear."

"Alright, thanks Jack. Good luck on your flight."

Jack chuckled dryly. "Yeah."

As Tony hung up the phone, he let out a breath. That was the last step in the setup of his plan. Now he just had to wait till they were in the air. Luckily, it wasn't long till he felt the plane shudder and begin to roll toward the runway. He nuzzled Michelle's cheek. "We're moving, baby."

Her gorgeous eyes opened and she sat up. "Who was on the phone?"

"Just Jack." Tony stopped for a second as the plane took off, the butterflies back in full force. "He was calling to say we were clear, nobody followed us here."

"So this mission is officially over?" Tony nodded. _Jesus. I'm gonna pass out._ He knew what the next words out of her mouth would be. "Oh, I should take off this ring then." She began digging around her bag to find the box.

_Now or never._ "I think I have both our boxes," he said, bending down to locate it in his own carry-on. He handed it to her quickly before she could notice the slight tremble of his hand.

She flipped open the box - and saw it already contained a ring. This one was much simpler - a mid-sized diamond with a small purple stone on each side. It was gorgeous. "Tony?" Her voice was soft and uncertain. He held her gaze and took her hands in his, nervousness suddenly gone.

"Michelle, the last two years have been the best of my life. You've awakened things in me I didn't even know existed, and you understand me sometimes better than I understand myself. No matter how bad a day at work is, you're the one thing that anchors my sanity. When I'm not around you, I'm constantly counting down in my head to when I'll see you again. I can't fall asleep without you in my arms. So what I'm trying to say is...I love you." Her lip trembled and tears crept across her vision. "Michelle Dessler, will you marry me?"

She wasn't sure her voice would work. "Yes, Tony. Yes!" She threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her in tightly, rocking her back and forth as tears slipped from her eyes. "I love you so much, Tony."

"I love you too, baby. More than you can imagine. _Mi__ mundo__, mi__ vive__, mi__ amo__._"

**Wow, finally done! This was my first real story so please review and give suggestions! I've been doing some shorter stuff...songfics, oneshots, etc so go look at those if you want...thanks for reading!**


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